“Massive Quakes Hit Bay Of Plenty”

The Trademe board was buzzing in the early hours of this morning with posters scared stiff about a prolonged swarm of shallow earthquakes that were hitting Whakatane and the Bay of Plenty overnight,  it shows how frightening and disruptive shallow quakes can be for those near the epicentre:

“Massive Quakes Hit Bay Of Plenty”

3:56am ” Been a rough night here for Whakatane…..had 3 massive quakes inside 2hours…..was a couple….real real huge shakes!!!….was felt in Whakatane, Rotorua, Ohope….
4.3 20km north of Whakatane 5km deep….2:38am
3.2 20km North of Whakatane 5km deep….2:48am
and another one at 3:30am…still to be scaled….”

3.59am “4.0 10kms north of Whakatane at 5km deep 3:42am”

4.03am “gonna go watch a movie to settle my nerves lol…there was also 8 recorded over the weekend in Whakatane….so something is starting to happen”

4.22am “4:21am….another quake”

4.33am “3.7 20kms north of whakatane 5kms deep 4;21am Poor people in Matata getting rocked by all this…”

5.04am “2 more quakes 5:01 and 5:03 but i think they’d be classfied as 1 quake not 2…”

5.17am “damn this recent one…had NO depth at all. 10km north east of Edgecumbe….3.7 and NO depth…5:03am

6.24am “massive for those who are sleeping right on top of the epicentres..i’m 20ks away and it scared the shit outta me, so what about those right on top of it”

6.31am “3.5 6:18am 10kms north of whakatane”

some reponses to him:

• “they have been very much felt, i have felt 3 the noise wakes then it shakes i run out of bed thinking its never going to end its going to be big, then it stops lol but there have been so many hopefully it sorts it self out.”

• “What a crap nights sleep… the first one I actually bolted out of bed to get the kids but then it stopped. Just as I would fall asleep, then another one would hit. First time in years I’ve had my son sleep in my bed!” 

It was the second cluster to hit the region this week and unsettle residents in the area. The Whakatane Beacon reported on 18 May :

“Swarm of earthquakes hit the Bay”
“THE Eastern Bay was hit by a swarm of earthquakes over the weekend.
The first was a 2.5 magnitude quake at 9.09pm on Saturday, 10 kilometres north of Whakatane with a shallow focal depth of 2.5km.
This was followed 30 minutes later by a larger 3.5 quake, also 10km north of Whakatane with a focal depth of 5km.
At 10.01pm and 10.36pm there were two 3.1 quakes, both 10km north of Whakatane and 5km deep.
The final shake of the evening had a magnitude of 2.9km and a very shallow depth of 1km. It was similarly centred 10km north of Whakatane. Then at 2.07am on Sunday there was a sixth quake of 3.3, 20km north of Whakatane. It had a depth of 5km.
Further away a 4.5 quake was recorded north-east of Matawai at 10.50am Sunday, with a focal depth of 5km. “

In 1931 a magnitude 7.8 quake devastated the Hawke’s Bay region. It was centred 15 km north of  Napier and it lasted for two and a half minutes.

There were 525 aftershocks recorded in the following two weeks. The main shock could be felt in much of the lower half of the North Island. (source)

In August 2006 experts at the Natural Hazards Management Conference in Christchurch warned that Rotorua, Taupo and Whakatane are set to be wiped out in a massive, long overdue earthquake and that people should be prepared for a catastrophic event:

“Geology experts Tim Davies and Mauri McSaveney have predicted that an alpine fault earthquake is overdue, and would result in the East Cape ripping away from New Zealand, destroying the plateau that Rotorua is based on and taking Taupo and Whakatane with it.
The pair say the earthquake will strike “out of the blue” and cause widespread death, shut down power generators, create tsunamis within New Zealand and overwhelm emergency services.
“The most likely time [for the quake] is now. The next most likely time for it to happen is tomorrow,” Associate Professor Davies, of Canterbury University, told the conference.
“It will occur with no recognisable warning. We can’t manage it – we have to adapt to it.”
The pair have outlined a nightmarish scenario in the aftermath of the quake and are urging people to be prepared as best they can. Overseas help would be needed when the quake struck…
The interval since the last event (in 1717) is longer than any interval between known earlier events.

Rotorua historian Don Stafford said the experts’ predictions were probably right and residents should be prepared.
“Who else could you listen to other than an expert. They have their reasons for why they believe they are worth listening to.”
Mr Stafford said historically there had been major eruptions and earthquakes in the Central North Island, with the most recent being Mt Tarawera in 1886.
“Lake Rotorua was a gigantic eruption 230,000 years ago. There have been gigantic eruptions for thousands of years.
“The historic massive eruption of Lake Taupo was recorded in China, Rome and Italy.”
Mr Stafford said the Central North Island had been relatively quiet during the past few decades.
“We have had it pretty sweet and I don’t doubt for one minute that there will be more big eruptions. … We would be foolish to presume that it won’t happen just because we are living here.”

Over the last thousand years, there have been four major ruptures along the Alpine Fault causing earthquakes of about magnitude 8.

These occurred in approximately 1100, 1450, 1620 and 1717 AD, at intervals between 100 and 350 years. The 1717 quake appears to have involved a rupture along nearly 400 km of the southern two thirds of the fault.  

Scientists say that a similar earthquake could happen at any time as the interval since 1717 is longer than between the earlier events. (source)


Large ruptures can also trigger earthquakes on the faults continuing north from the Alpine Fault.
A list of  30 most recent earthquakes in New Zealand may be found here.

Also See blog : “Mass aircraft grounding possible in NZ too, scientists say”

Today's posts - click here

Tourists Robbed At Kerosene Creek

A group of four "international tourists" have been attacked and robbed whilst swimming at Kerosene Creek, near Taupo on Monday night. Their car and a number of possessions were taken during an attack which has left them deeply shaken.

Information as to the tourists' nationality or country of origin seems to have been withheld from the press for the time being, no doubt to reduce the amount of exposure the story gets? (it's already appeared on sites around the world)  but the attack does bear similarities to the attack on a group of Chinese tourists in Te Paki, Northland, which leaves us thinking that this may have been a group of Chinese people too.

Local wary of parking at Kerosene Creek
Those interested in such things may like to familiarise themselves with the findings of a 2009 Safety Perception Survey carried out for Rotorua District Council. 400 local residents were questioned about their perceptions of safety in the area.

63.0% of respondents felt there are unsafe places to park a vehicle in...areas around Rotorua, an increase year on year - 61.5% in 2008, 67.1% in 2007 and 54.3% in 2006. Of those, the most common mentions included:

• Blue/Green Lakes (Tikitapu/Rotokakahi) and Okere Falls (62 responses each)

• The Redwood Forest car park (61 responses)

• Kerosene Creek (37 responses)

• Waipa (26 responses)

The locals obviously know where the unsafe places are but is this information being passed on to tourists?

One can only speculate if it was a copycat crime, but what is rather disturbing that the high profile arrest and punishment of the Northland offenders seems to have had no deterrent effect whatsoever, attacks on unwary tourists are still occurring in New Zealand, and if anything, seem to be more frequent.


Today's posts - click here

Taupo Council Passes Anti-1080 Resolution

At last, a council strong enough and with the courage to take on the mighty 1080 machine within New Zealand. Taupo District Council have passed a resolution calling for a sustainable alternative to the highly toxic pesticide 1080 (chemical name sodium fluoroacetate) and for all aerial dropping to cease:

That the Taupo District Council, in accordance with the Section 10b of the Local Government Act 2002, advocate with central government and appropriate agencies, viz:

a. To develop a sustainable alternative possum eradication and trapping programme.

b. For the abolition of all aerial dropping of 1080 poison forthwith.

In their press release the council said

"Taupo District Council will advocate to central government to stop the aerial dropping of 1080 forthwith and to find a sustainable alternative to the use of 1080 poison to eradicate possums.

The vote was close but the resolution was greeted with applause from the small crowd present at Wednesday’s (30th September) SPO council meeting.

The decision* has been awaited with interest with attendance at recent meetings in Turangi and Taupo drawing people from far and wide. Today’s meeting was accompanied by a small but vocal group of anti-1080 protestors with placards on Lake Terrace.

Mayor Rick Cooper stressed it was the method of delivery which caused him the most concern “we need to stop the aerial bombardment by helicopters dumping 1080 indiscriminately over large tracts of land. This method is uncontrolled and the risk to the environment and our waterways is too great – we understand 1080 will be used until the powers find and fund a more sustainable method of eradicating possums but aerial dropping must be stopped forthwith.” He said the Council are very grateful to all of those who have taken the time to present their views and arguments to Council which has allowed Council to make a very well informed decision.

Clr Don Ormsby - Chairman of the TT CBD who put the motion to the vote says “It is good to see that the commitment of a small but passionate community can make a difference and I would like to congratulate the Taupo District Council for listening to its communities and taking this bold stand. I know people who have been trying to do something about 1080 for forty years and if we don’t stand up for them who will?”

The debate on the aerial dropping of 1080 was triggered by the Turangi-Tongariro Community Board which was reacting to concerns from their community about the indiscriminate dropping of 1080 poison baits to eradicate possums. Clr Gary Keepa said there is clear evidence of indiscriminate dropping of 1080 in the Turangi area which he was against."

Council tasked Clr Ormsby to take the lead on this issue and stipulated that there should be no undue burden of cost to the ratepayers."

Good for them we say, we hope more councils follow their lead and put an end to the widespread use of this toxin within New Zealand.

See also "Dept of Conservation and the 1080 Fraud": Link

Karen Aim Murder - A Change of Plea and a Father's Unanswered Questions

Jahche Broughton (15) who had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Scottish woman Karen Aim has taken on a new lawyer and has asked to change his plea before sentencing is given out.

According to Stuff.co.nz

"Legal experts say Broughton's young age he was 14 at the time of the killing could be used as a factor in his plea change application, in that he may not have understood the nature of the charge or a possible defence."

Karen's parents are said to be disappointed with the change but Mr Aim still has unanswered questions regarding events surrounding the death of his daughter.

Broughton was said to have been vandalising a school on the night of the murder. A baseball bat used to batter Karen had also been used to smash windows at the school . However, Karen's body was found just metres from her home, well away from the school.

Broughton was said to have hidden the bat at his home and showed it to his mate Leigh Herewini.

Herewini is the 34-year-old security guard who responded to an alarm at the school on the night of the assault.

In a court hearing in Sept of last year Herewini gave evidence that

"the accused had shown him the baseball bat when he had gone to his house about two or three days after Ms Aim was killed.

"It had a lot of dents and bitsmissing off it," Mr Herewini said. "It looked like it had blood on it."

He said the accused had called him on the day Ms Aim was killed and told him he knew who was responsible for the murder.

"He said it was a guy Bryan, a Mongrel Mob prospect from Rotorua."

The accused allegedly said Bryan had hit Ms Aim over the head with a baseball bat and was planning on throwing her into the Waikato River "but there was too much traffic around so he left".

Previous Karen Aim articles: Link

Karen Aim's Murderer Pleads Guilty.

Link: Karen Aim

Scottish woman Karen Aim was brutally murdered as she walked home alone one night in January last year.

The murder, which happened in Taupo in NZ's North Island, shocked not just the residents of the small town but people all over the world.

The incident received international press coverage and brought into sharp focus the problem of violent crime in the country. People questioned New Zealand's reputation as a safe place in which to live and visit.

Today Karen's 15 year old killer Jahche Te Manawa Kaha Brougton pleaded guilty and spared her family the ordeal of sitting through what was likely to be a long court case.

He also pleaded guilty to one count wounding with intent to cause causing grievous bodily harm to another woman, aged 17, in Taupo on January 5 last year.

Sentencing will be carried out on 6th March.

News Story: Sky News UK

Karen Aim Trial

Security guard says teen defendant showed him bloody bat
Source: NZHerald 3 Sept, 2008

"The teenager accused of murdering Scottish tourist Karen Aim allegedly hid the baseball bat he used to kill her under his house and then showed the bloodstained, dented object to a man he knew.

Leigh Herewini, a 34-year-old security guard, said he felt "uncomfortable" when he saw the bat because "it could've been the bat that hurt the girl".

Mr Herewini was testifying at the second day of a depositions hearing at the Taupo Youth Court yesterday.

The accused, who was 14 when he allegedly murdered Ms Aim in January, stared at Mr Herewini while he gave evidence.

But Mr Herewini avoided his gaze and told the court the accused had shown him the baseball bat when he had gone to his house about two or three days after Ms Aim was killed.

"It had a lot of dents and bitsmissing off it," Mr Herewini said. "It looked like it had blood on it."

He said the accused had called him on the day Ms Aim was killed and told him he knew who was responsible for the murder.

"He said it was a guy Bryan, a Mongrel Mob prospect from Rotorua."

Karen Aim Murder Case Comes to Trial

The trial began today of the youth accused of the murder of Scottish tourist Karen Aim.
It was a shocking crime that sickened many people in both New Zealand and the rest of the world. The trial will probably be the focus of a lot of media attention in the coming weeks and over a hundred witnesses will be called.

My thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time.


Accused Tries to Pin Blame on Friend
Source: NZ Herald, Tuesday September 02, 2008

The 15-year-old boy accused of murdering Scottish tourist Karen Aim allegedly lied that another person had killed her but was arrested after her camera, handbag and a baseball bat with her blood on it were found at his house.

The teenager, who was 14 when Ms Aim was murdered in Taupo in January, allegedly said that a friend called Bryan killed the 26-year-old and planned to dispose of her body in the Waikato River when he was disturbed.

The accused, who cannot be named because of his age, allegedly showed a baseball bat to a man he knew and said he had obtained it from Bryan.

The man is appearing as a witness at a depositions hearing for the defendant and is expected to testify today that he was disturbed by blood he saw on the bat.

The depositions hearing began yesterday in the Taupo Youth Court.