Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Hits Kapiti Coast

According to Geonet, an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 has occurred off the Kapiti Coast. According to Geonet's report on the quake, the earthquake hit at 7:38 p.m., 50 km north-west of Paraparaumu, at a depth of 48 km, and was accompanied by intense shaking. More than 28,000 individuals reported feeling the quake within 10 minutes, with the majority describing mild to moderate shaking. Thousands of individuals did, however, describe shaking that ranged from severe to intense. The earthquake was felt by people in Southland and Northland, among other places. The workplace was rocked by a "strong and sustained rumbling that continued on for a considerable period," according to  personnel in Wellington. "A nice shaking that lasted a fairly long time," yet "nothing knocked down." Families of  employees have described feeling the earthquake in several locations.One reported it "began with a bang and then a violent shaking" in Porirua, which is 20 minutes from where Geonet claims the earthquake struck. In Palmerston North, a TV nearly fell from a table that was knocked over in a corridor. One reporter remarked, "It started little but apparent on Paraparaumu Beach, and it was fairly creaking. On the beach, quakes have this horrible, nauseating roll that lasts for a very long time, almost like when you've been in the water for a while and then later, when you're on land, you still feel as though you're rocking. The home of a reporter near Kpiti "rattled and rocked, and you could hear all the beams being tossed around through the frame," the reporter claimed. It resembled erratic, jagged waves.were moving quickly from one end of the building to the other. "We immediately slid beneath a door frame, and then it just started getting bigger." We had no damage, but we're about 60 km from where GeoNet initially placed it near Kpiti, so we're really hoping everyone close to the centre is okay — that was a big shake. We were worried that the rain would cause a landslide because we're on a clay slope, so the first thing we did was get out of the building and check the slope.