Earthquakes in the land of the long white cloud...

I wrote this post last Tuesday but didn't share as I was still processing it all, as many of us no doubt were.  I've now added some more to the end of the post.

Tuesday, 15th November 2016

Overnight, my beloved New Zealand experienced a number of severe earthquakes in the South Island with the largest registering a 7.8 on the Richter Scale near Hamner Springs. The earthquakes were felt throughout the South Island and also the lower part of the North Island where damage was also sustained.

There has been major damage in the Kaikoura area that I blogged about recently.  I think the most confronting thing for me is seeing the extent of the road damage to roads I drove just two months ago. There was also damage to the Wellington Ferry Terminal where a bridge has collapsed and again, it's only 2 months since I was there.

I guess it begs the question, given it's no real secret that I wish to spend at least a year living in NZ in the not too distant future, would I still go?

The answer is yes, of course I will still go.  After all, I currently live in a country where there are frequent weather events - anything from bush fires to floods to extreme heat and cyclones.  I currently live in an area that experiences cyclones and the unit I live in is directly across from the beach, so it would be front line in a cyclone.

However, does this stop people from living in those areas?  No, it doesn't tend to do so.  What we can do, is be aware and take the necessary precautions.  We also have to realise that events of such magnitude are not daily or even regular (as in yearly for example) events.  This doesn't mean we become complacent, rather it's to add some perspective but also remember the importance of being prepared for events that may be seasonal.

I'm sure there will be much more information to come out over the coming days following the earthquakes and there will no doubt be a number of aftershocks. The large one of 7.8 was unusual in that it lasted around 2-3 minutes, which is much longer than they've usually been known to last in the area.

I hope people are safe.  I know it will take some time to recover and for the shock to ease.  I feel for the children who are often so traumatised and there is a comfort in seeing community come together.  I noticed there is a wildlife park in Christchurch that is opening it's doors to children for free today.

My heart goes out to all those affected in NZ today.

Please note, these are not my pics - they are photo's taken by others in NZ. Another thing to note is the time zone captured on my blog is incorrect.  The local time in Qld Australia is currently 7.34 am.

Updated Saturday, 19th November 2016

What a week!  New Zealand has been experiencing so many aftershocks with three over a magnitude 6.  By 2.30pm yesterday afternoon, there had been 2812 aftershocks many of which have been in the surrounding areas of the original quake.

The sea bed at Kaikoura has been left 2 metres above sea level following the quake and there are concerns that the seal colony at Ohau Point has been devastated.  If you've been following my blog, you will have seen photo's I posted of this area and the seals a couple of weeks ago.

There has been another line of thought that perhaps the seals instinctively knew that the quake was coming, as animals often do tend to have instincts that protect them in these events.  If this is the case, it is hoped they swam further out to sea however the concern is it is breeding season and seals tend to return to their areas to give birth.  Sadly, that area is no longer there (or not in the way it previously was) so hopefully the seals will be able to find another place to have their pups.

I have tried unsuccessfully to include a video clip I took 2 months ago of the seals playing in the water at Ohau Point (just north of Kaikoura), so have added a seal pic plus another pic taken in the area of the beautiful coastline.