NZ Earthquake: 6.9 Level??

Appreciate info shared on the other NZ-Aussie board about this happening down under. From USA Today a few minutes ago this morning, they have this headline from their AP wire story: "Magnitude 6.9 quake rattles New Zealand" with these highlights: "The New Zealand capital Wellington was rattled by a strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Sunday that broke water mains, smashed windows and downed power lines. Wellington Police Inspector Marty Parker said there had been minor structural damage that had left parts of the city without power. There have been no reports of injury and no tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck under the Cook Strait, 35 miles southwest of Wellington. It was 6 miles underground. New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire' that receives regular seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the city of Christchurch in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city's downtown."

This earthquake struck near nightfall. That's better timing when sailing in this area. My wife mentioned not want to be there if a tsunami created. Hopefully, we will do fine when there in the NZ area during our early 2014 period there. No "Shake, Rattle & Roll" desired for our trip experience.

Full story at:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/21/earthquake-new-zealand-wellington/2572299/

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 136,117 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Appreciate info shared on the other NZ-Aussie board about this happening down under. From USA Today a few minutes ago this morning, they have this headline from their AP wire story: "Magnitude 6.9 quake rattles New Zealand" with these highlights: "The New Zealand capital Wellington was rattled by a strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Sunday that broke water mains, smashed windows and downed power lines. Wellington Police Inspector Marty Parker said there had been minor structural damage that had left parts of the city without power. There have been no reports of injury and no tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck under the Cook Strait, 35 miles southwest of Wellington. It was 6 miles underground. New Zealand is part of the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire' that receives regular seismic activity. A severe earthquake in the city of Christchurch in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city's downtown."

 

This earthquake struck near nightfall. That's better timing when sailing in this area. My wife mentioned not want to be there if a tsunami created. Hopefully, we will do fine when there in the NZ area during our early 2014 period there. No "Shake, Rattle & Roll" desired for our trip experience.

 

Full story at:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/21/earthquake-new-zealand-wellington/2572299/

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 136,117 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Glad to hear there were no reports of injury.

The main quake was 6.5 and we are getting a lot of aftershocks, there was some building damage and 4 minor injuries. We are called the Shaky Isles lol.

It is the school holidays here, so no closures necessary there, central Wellington was closed down while they assessed the damage. Things are getting back to normal very quickly, despite the continuing aftershocks.

The worry is whether it carries on like Christchurch's did.

The worry is whether it carries on like Christchurch's did.

Christchurch area continues to have occasional aftershocks.

Christchurch area continues to have occasional aftershocks.

I have lived in Wellington for over 40 years and this quake was the worst I have felt. It was greater in intensity than the February 22 Christchurch earthquake. The City Council has toughened up building regulations for many years and this policy paid off in Sunday's earthquake, as most damage was to building exteriors. Many old buildings have been pulled down or strengthened over many years. By contrast Christchurch never had such a policy and many old brick buildings came down. Still we are always waiting for the BIG ONE and we are constantly reminded of that every time we go to a cricket match at the Basin Reserve once a haven for small boats or to our airport and its surrounding suburb Miramar which was once an island before the 1855 quake.

Kiwi Kruzer: The Port in Wellington seems to be OK. A small container ship was due this afternoon and she has docked. The cruise wharf at Aotea appears unscathed. According to the webcam the InterIsland Ferries are still working. The only reports of damage have been... Part of the city's port' date=' which is on reclaimed land, has collapsed and one container has been lost into the harbour, while large cracks are visible on the port's grounds. [/quote']

 

Yes, aftershocks can be a big challenge, question for area residents. Above are some of the added background and insights shared on the other NZ-Aussie board for how things have hit with this NZ earthquake. I especially like the comparisons by kiwijohn for how the building codes were upgraded and improved for Wellington versus Christchurch. Will share this background with those on our Solstice Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014 roll call. I'm sure they will find these items of interest. Fortunately, as noted by Karin&Isaac, there appears, so far, to be no loss of life or major injuries.

 

From the New Zealand Herald within the past few hours, they have this headline: "Wellington earthquake: Rail services resume" with these highlights: "Wellington rail services have resumed following inspections for earthquake-related damage. Tranz Metro will be operating a half hourly timetable from 1pm for the rest of the day and normal operations are expected to resume tomorrow. Passengers should be aware that services may stop again for track inspections if there are any strong aftershocks, Tranz Metro warned. Wellington City Council and Civil Defence are still asking people to avoid the city centre for the rest of the day to give crews time to fully assess and clean up any damage."

 

Another of their news articles noted: "35 buildings damaged in CBD". Here were more details in this article from the Auckland-based, major NZ newspaper: "Wellington's mayor is hopeful it will be business as normal tomorrow despite 35 buildings in the CBD found to have been externally damaged by yesterday's severe earthquake. Engineers have spent the day assessing almost 2500 buildings in central Wellington following the magnitude-6.5 quake which struck in the Cook Strait just after 5pm yesterday. The quake, which has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, caused widespread damage. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said most of it was minor and no structural damage had been discovered. About 12 buildings on a section of Featherston Street were cordoned off due to concerns about falling masonry and glass. Glass and masonry were still falling from about a dozen buildings and those areas had been cordoned off, but most roads had reopened."

 

Full story at:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10901484

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10901475

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 136,177 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Here is what I just posted on roll call for our Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Solstice cruise. This is from the New Zealand Herald within the last few minutes. They have this headline: "Wellington shaken by severe earthquake" with these highlights: "A severe earthquake has shaken the Wellington region. After its initial report, GNS reported on its website that the quake was 6.2, and only 8km deep, 10km southeast of Seddon, near the coast in Marlborough. The strongest shaking was recorded in Wellington. It was probably a bit to the south of the quakes of two weeks ago. There were reports of a house collapsing near Seddon after the quake. Wellington had also lost cellphone coverage. Ambulance central communications said they had yet to receive any calls related to the earthquake. TranzMetro said it had immediately stopped all train services in the capital. Wellington's railway station had been evacuated. No tsunami threat has been issued. A fire communications spokesman said so far there had been no reports of damage in Wellington, just alarm activations around the city."

Not good news, but it seems from these early reports that there is not major damage. More tomorrow. As I have reported earlier on our roll call, they call this area the "Shaky Isles"!! The good news is the buildings in Wellington, compared to Christchurch, are fairly well designed to handle these situations.

Full story at:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10913399

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 139,275 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

This latest earthquake has caused part of State Highway 1, north of Kaikoura, to close, due to rock falls and slips.

Yes, aftershocks can be a big challenge, question for area residents. Above are some of the added background and insights shared on the other NZ-Aussie board for how things have hit with this NZ earthquake. I especially like the comparisons by kiwijohn for how the building codes were upgraded and improved for Wellington versus Christchurch. Will share this background with those on our Solstice Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014 roll call. I'm sure they will find these items of interest. Fortunately, as noted by Karin&Isaac, there appears, so far, to be no loss of life or major injuries.

 

From the New Zealand Herald within the past few hours, they have this headline: "Wellington earthquake: Rail services resume" with these highlights: "Wellington rail services have resumed following inspections for earthquake-related damage. Tranz Metro will be operating a half hourly timetable from 1pm for the rest of the day and normal operations are expected to resume tomorrow. Passengers should be aware that services may stop again for track inspections if there are any strong aftershocks, Tranz Metro warned. Wellington City Council and Civil Defence are still asking people to avoid the city centre for the rest of the day to give crews time to fully assess and clean up any damage."

 

Another of their news articles noted: "35 buildings damaged in CBD". Here were more details in this article from the Auckland-based, major NZ newspaper: "Wellington's mayor is hopeful it will be business as normal tomorrow despite 35 buildings in the CBD found to have been externally damaged by yesterday's severe earthquake. Engineers have spent the day assessing almost 2500 buildings in central Wellington following the magnitude-6.5 quake which struck in the Cook Strait just after 5pm yesterday. The quake, which has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks, caused widespread damage. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said most of it was minor and no structural damage had been discovered. About 12 buildings on a section of Featherston Street were cordoned off due to concerns about falling masonry and glass. Glass and masonry were still falling from about a dozen buildings and those areas had been cordoned off, but most roads had reopened."

 

Full story at:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10901484

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10901475

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 136,177 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Sorry,

I just realized posts I was reading refer to last minths quakes

Aquarians

Fear not folks, although the shakes are no fun, Wellington is doing just fine. Traffic much worse than a usual Friday night but the only loss on our 28th floor office was a cup of tea. Building inspections will make sure everything is safe and hoping for a relaxing shake-free Saturday tomorrow. As someone else noted, all part of life in the 'shaky isles'.

The rating was revised to 6.6.

kiwijo,

Two quick questions please. If we are on the 0800 ferry from Picton (arrival in Wellington about 1120 as I understand):

1. How would you recommend getting to the airport? Taxi? Bus?
   
2. What would be the earliest time we could safely plan for a flight out of Wellington?
   

Thanks for your patience and time,

Greg

Hi Greg,

The joy of Wellington is that it's a little city, so it's not going to be too hard to get around.

Assuming that you're coming in on the Interislander, allow a few minutes to disembark and pick up your luggage which will come off on a carousel like an airport. There's always some cabs at the terminal when the ferry arrives and from there, it's probably a 20 minute drive to the Airport. I'd expect to pay around $35-40NZD for the ride.

There is an Airport Flier bus, but with luggage it gets a little more of a hassle. It'd be a $10 cab ride to Wellington Station (or a 25 minute walk), and then the Airport flier is about $8 or $9 pp from Wellington Station to the Airport. Timetable here: http://www.metlink.org.nz/timetables/bus/091/inbound

Domestic flights require a 30 minute check in for Air New Zealand and a 45 minute check in for Jetstar. If you're checking straight on to an international flight out to Australia you should allow a 2 hour check in if you're leaving from Wellington or 45-60 minutes check in time in Wellington so you can through-check your luggage for flights departing from Christchurch or Auckland. Doing that means you don't have to see your luggage again until you need to clear Customs at your next destination. If it was me and a domestic flight, a 1.30 flight would be probably be OK but a 2pm onwards would probably be more comfortable!

If you book directly online, both airlines should give you an option to take out insurance for your flight, around $10NZ, which would give you additional piece of mind.

If you find yourself with some time on your hands, Te Papa Museum has a luggage store and is well worth spending time in. For film fans, The Weta Cave is about 5 minutes from Wellington Airport so could be visited en-route as well if you were cab-bing.

Hope that helps,

Jo

kiwijo,

 

Two quick questions please. If we are on the 0800 ferry from Picton (arrival in Wellington about 1120 as I understand):

1. How would you recommend getting to the airport? Taxi? Bus?
   
2. What would be the earliest time we could safely plan for a flight out of Wellington?
   

Thanks for your patience and time,

Greg

Hi Jo,

I just happened to see your note and hope you might help with some info. In N.Z. (and specifically Wellington among other cruise ship ports) do you know if the type of taxi that here in Australia we call a Maxi Taxi, are available? I use a small disability scooter and the Maxi Taxi vans usually have lifts at the back to load my scooter.

Thanks, Larry

Hi Jo,

I just happened to see your note and hope you might help with some info. In N.Z. (and specifically Wellington among other cruise ship ports) do you know if the type of taxi that here in Australia we call a Maxi Taxi, are available? I use a small disability scooter and the Maxi Taxi vans usually have lifts at the back to load my scooter.

Thanks, Larry

Hi Larry

I've just had a quick look online at a 'maxi taxi' and we certainly have something similar here in Wellington. They're not always available at port so I'd highly recommend booking one in advance so they can meet you right outside the terminal without delay. Wellington Combined Taxis provide the taxi services at the port and you can see their vehicle range online here - http://www.taxis.co.nz/Vehicles.html

Hope it helps,

Jo