settlements were scattered along the coast. Soon after the first settlers arrived in Wellington in early 1840 they felt small earthquakes. New Zealand Gazette, 30 May 1840, p. 2. The earthquake raised the Wellington coastline by up to 1.5 metres. Also, the 1848 earthquake – the first since European settlement in 1840 – had caused a number of deaths in buildings that incorporated brickwork. brick chimneys. The moment magnitude is estimated to have been in the range 8.2–8.3, the most powerful recorded in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840. ... first of the NZ Company’s emigrant ships to arrive at Pito-one (Petone), anchoring in the harbour on January 22, 1840. 1840 onward soon became accustomed to a distinctive feature When the first European settlers arrived in 1840, the demand for more land and wharves was almost immediate. The Borough is abolished as is the office of Mayor. The street is named after an early New Zealand Company settler ship, the Cuba, which arrived in Wellington Harbour on 3 January 1840. European settlers arriving in the Wellington region from Arrived in Wellington in 1840 as a surveyor with New Zealand Company. sail for Sydney with over 60 settlers. the following from NZETC was written about 1928 ... Lambton Quay extends from Lambton Railway Station to the Bank of New Zealand corner, and is named after the Earl of Durham, who took such an active part in the affairs of the settlement, and whose family name was Lambton. gloom, fearing that his descriptions would deter new Others decided to leave Read the full article Wellington city centre is renowned for its flourishing café scene and the culture it inhabits. ... on Wellington's city-wide sewerage system, the first of its kind in New Zealand. The plaques have a simple message - Shoreline 1840. Land uplift caused by the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake and further reclamation have left the street some 250 metres from the current shoreline. Surveyor active in the Wellington Provincial District in 1850. Wellington, capital city, port, and major commercial centre of New Zealand, located in the extreme south of North Island. The harbour's former name was 'Port Nicholson' and the smaller bay surrounded by the city is called 'Wellington' or 'Lambton Harbour'. 1840: European settlement begins. ... 1855: Earthquake alters Wellington landscape. From Ministry for Culture and Heritage: Soon after the first settlers arrived in Wellington in early 1840 they felt small earthquakes. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on a fault line to the north and east of Wellington. about 4,500 European settlers were living in the Wellington Journal by ngairedith. As aftershocks continued, some people sought safety at Earthquakes Edit. Within this time period, there does not appear to be any temporal clustering of surface rupture events on adjacent faults. Read more... 26 February 1844 'Pistols at dawn': deadly duel in Wellington ... settlers at Port Nicholson (Wellington), where he served as the New Zealand Company’s Principal Agent between 1840 and 1848. 1 Angry newspaper The rise of coffee houses in the 1940s, 50s and 60s was not a phenomenon confined to Wellington, or indeed to New Zealand. There is no evidence the frequency of earthquakes in New Zealand has changed. Typically at least one earthquake is noticed by the … first few days of frightening tremors, whalers from Cloudy The first earthquake occurred at 1.40 a.m. during a severe From settlement in 1840, until present day - here are some of the most significant events in Lower Hutt’s history. This earthquakewas associated with the largest … Henry Chapman noted about 100 aftershocks between 1.40 a.m. The southern end of the Remutaka Range rose by over 6 metres, but the uplift decreased westward to near zero along the west coast of the Wellington peninsula. There were earlier attempts at establishing local government in Wellington, including, in 1840, an unofficial council led by colonist William Wakefield. There were earlier attempts at establishing local government in Wellington, including, in 1840, an unofficial council led by colonist William Wakefield. ... Orchestra Wellington; Orchestra … Because ... (196 metres) near the centre of the city. The wharves are some distance from the original 1840 shoreline Land was scarce in Wellington from the beginning, when 1,100 town-acre lots were pegged out in 1840, with few spaces for public buildings or parks, and public access to the harbour restricted to the northern end of the town. From the start of 1840, waves of British settlers came ashore at Pito-one (Petone) hoping to find a new life in the fledgling settlement, then called Britannia, soon to be renamed Wellington. See Dictionary of New Zealand Biography / Scholefield Volume 2 p 148. LAMBTON QUAY, Wellington - 1840. since ~AD 1840). Swamps partly dried out as a result of the quake. I am also continually seeking more contributions to add to this site. ill-prepared for the severity of the quakes that were to dividing it in two pieces standing four feet apart.’ The main shock lasted for at least two Information for earthquakes before 1840 are later estimates. Back: History of Wellington; 1890 - 1918. the Wellington Harbour entrance and was wrecked, but no lives night aboard ships in the harbour. and masonry buildings, many chose to replace them with wooden Mindful of the severe damage to brick At 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. Wellington (Māori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara [tɛ ˈfaŋanʉi a taɾa]) is the capital city of New Zealand.It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range.Wellington is the major population centre of the southern North Island, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region, which also includes the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa.It is the … In July 1866 she was burnt to the ground but by December the same year she was back operating. The earthquake triggered extensive landsliding on both faces of the Rimutaka Ranges, along the Kaikoura coast and in Wellington, where access to Petone was cut off when a large landslide containing ~300,000 m 3 of material cascaded down to block the coastal track north. Stephen Patience (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Britannica Quiz ... proved unsuitable, and a move was made … The 1855 ("Wairarapa") earthquake occurred on a fault line to the east of urban Wellington, running along the Rimutaka Range. But it was nearly 1950 before there was much sign of the sparkling capital Page 3 – Immigration and Society. Along ... A 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck the Wellington region, centred in Palliser Bay, Wairarapa. buildings, churches, barracks, the jail, and the colonial Wellington suffered serious damage in a series of earthquakes in 1848 and from another earthquake in 1855. Among the effects of the earthquake was a new shoreline which increased the city’s footprint and made the Hutt Valley more accessible. relief … It appears to have been nearly equally felt all around Port Nicholson. 14. It lifted the southern end of the Remutaka Range by a staggering 6 m. [Denton, Frank J, 1869-1963. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. There are several "quays" which are now nowhere near the harbour. Submitted to: 11th IAEG Congress, Auckland Date submitted 1 February, 2010 Much of Wellington waterfront is reclaimed land. The earthquake was caused by movement along at least 140 kilometres of the Wairarapa Fault, along the eastern edge of the Rimutaka Range. It was closely followed by the Oriental, the Duke of ... there was a huge 8.2 earthquake along the Palliser Bay fault … Images ... Summary of 1840 of Wellington’s first recorded earthquake. gale and heavy rain. Earthquake casualties have been estimated for two situations, (i) scenario events on the Wellington Fault, and (ii) probabilistically, for all significant earthquake sources in New Zealand. Soon after the earthquakes, the settlers were clearing Waterfront reclamation. Goh. October 16 Marlborough earthquake. Many people in Wellington described these The Wellington region is cut by five active right-lateral strike-slip faults: Wairarapa, Wellington, Ohariu, Shepherds Gully/Pukerua, and Wairau faults that have average recurrence intervals of meter-scale surface rupture that range from ̃500 years to 5000 years, and lateral slip rates that range from 1 to 10 mm/yr. In Marlborough, a number of homesteads were To emigrants from England, earthquakes were an unexpected part of life in their new homeland. ‘a crack quite straight crossed the country for miles; in The It’s Our Fault programme aims to position Wellington to be a more resilient city through a comprehensive study of the likelihood of large Wellington earthquakes, the effects of these earthquakes, and their impacts on humans and the built environment. The Thistle Inn was built in 1840. she is the oldest hotel in NZ still trading from the original site. Wellington’s early town plan, prepared by Francis Molesworth in 1841, made allowance for a canal leading from Thorndon Bay to an inland harbour at the Basin Reserve. Only the Wairarapa fault has ruptured since European settlement (since circa A.D. 1840). Kilometres beneath Wellington the light, thick Australian plate rides over the heavier, but thinner Pacific plate. As expected, the liquefaction damage was greater where the earthquake shaking was stronger. Although it was centred in Within Wellington Harbour, water levels varied considerably. Wellington 1840 shoreline marker. The shoreline as it was in 1840 is marked by plaques in the footpaths on Lambton Quay (hence the street name). Date Location Region … The country's earthquake proneness was familiar to the earliest settlers, many of whom were terrified by tremors in 1840, the foundation year of the Wellington settlement. This was abandoned after the 1855 earthquake lifted up the land. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. 2, Eileen McSaveney, 'Historic earthquakes - The 1848 Marlborough earthquake', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/historic-earthquakes/page-2 (accessed 16 December 2020), Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 28 Mar 2011, updated 1 Nov 2017. Kiwi scientists have made history by discovering a new Alpine Fault earthquake and are now investigating whether a "bend" might protect Wellington and Marlborough in the next big shake. Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image. It ranks as probably the most powerful earthquake in recorded New Zealand history, with an estimated magnitude of at least 8.2 on the Richter scale. Also worked on Hawkes Bay maps for Donald McLean, surveyed Ahuriri Block; in 1860 moved to Canterbury and member of Canterbury Provincial Government survey party contracted to lay-off a road to West … In 1893, the parliament in Wellington passed th e 'Electoral Act 1893' which made New Zealand the world's first country to give women the vote. © Crown Copyright. Lambton Quay is named after John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, the first chairman of directors of the New Zealand Company. But the tremors seemed benign until a major earthquake in 1848 caused widespread damage. Detailed timeline of events relating to the Canterbury earthquake on and after 4 September 2010. As a result, outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhoid and cholera became increasingly rife. minutes, and was followed by strong vibrations for 10 The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. This extract from the New Zealand Gazette of 30 May 1840 summarises their impressions. Wellington cafe culture. Wellington City located at the south-western GIS Map Data tapu, and pre-1840 2.0MB); … Videos Nine days apart Were the Japan and Kaikoura earthquakes related? The 1929 Arthur’s Pass and Murchison earthquakes, The 2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake, Personal stories of the 2010–11 Canterbury earthquakes, Personal stories of earthquakes since 1942, Next: Page 3. Much of Wellington waterfront is reclaimed land. Wellington New Zealand history information and historical places. Wellington Earthquakes. The 8.2 magnitude quake was … Nowadays it’s a good 500m from the shoreline, but when it was built in 1840, it was a beachfront property. Large landslips had swept down the sides of the Rimutaka Ranges, and there were gaping fissures (cracks) in the Wairarapa Plain, some up to 5 metres deep. Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand, located at the south of the North Island, in the Wellington ... on the ship Tory, on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the ship Aurora on 22 January 1840. Wellington is prone to earthquakes because it rests on the point where two tectonic plates meet. GNS measures about 15,000 a year of which 150, or one every three days, is felt. In Wellington the violent shaking damaged almost all brick epicentre thought Wellington would be a refuge. Building earthquake resilience; Encroachments; Council land and property for sale; Quarry; Development contributions; Road stopping; Pool and spa fencing; How can I? ruins and rebuilding. Vibrations continued for at least an hour, the Awatere valley in the Marlborough district of the South February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. It was the site of the original settlement in 1840, which grew into Wellington. injured on 17 October, when the brick wall of a damaged Several hundred more minor fault lines have been identified within the urban area. Major aftershocks on 17 and 19 October brought down a It struck rocks near Wellington IPA: [wɛlɪŋtən] (maor. Lambton Quay, or ?The Beach,? National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past Reference: Wellington history dates back as far as 950 AD according to Māori legend. It was the site of the original settlement in 1840, which grew into Wellington. On 16 October 1848 an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.5 shook the region. In Wellington, close to the epicenter, shaking lasted for at least 50 seconds. Waterfront stories Twenty one of those earthquakes caused at least one death, with 489 deaths overall directly attributable to an earthquake – not counting, of course, many thousands of injuries. Commercial re-use may be allowed on request. Their settlement was named after Arthur Wellesley, ... nearby. The 1848 earthquakes, and the aftershocks which continued Explore the history of the Wellington history by taking an historical tour or explore the museums and geological features yourself. Wellington suffered serious damage in a series of earthquakes in 1848 and from another earthquake in 1855. initial earthquake. All text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence unless otherwise stated. Please send an email with any suggestions. hospital. As one of the oldest suburbs in Aotearoa, with its streets laid out in 1840 by Mein Smith, 85% properties pre-date 1930,and are largely Victorian and Edwardian. Astoria, Wellington Picture: coffee roaster - Check out Tripadvisor members' 33,203 candid photos and videos of Astoria Land uplift caused by the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake and further reclamation have left the street some 250 metres from the current shoreline. Welcome to the Wellington pages of the New Zealand GenWeb Project. The town then relocated to the south-western end of the harbour. The Basin Reserve is now a cricket ground. badly damaged. It’s Our Fault: Better Defining the Earthquake Risk in Wellington - Results to Date & a Look to the Future 2009 NZSEE Conference R. Van Dissen1, K. Berryman1, A. King1, T. Webb1, H. Brackley1, these minor tremors caused no damage, people were were lost. Lieutenant Governor Edward Eyre described the effects of the area in November 1848. Many of the rescued settlers eventually stayed in On average that is seven to eight earthquakes each decade. Everybody seems immediately to have had suggested to their minds that it was an earthquake. the 1848 earthquake in alarming terms: ‘the town of magnitude of 7.5 shook the region. ... ships now in port … are crowded to excess with Some of the major events that occurred in Wellington city between 1890 and 1918. The Wairarapa earthquake of 1855 still ranks amongst the strongest in New Zealand history and is believed to have exceeded 8.0 on the Richter scale. They were later fully drained and the reclaimed land was built on. Wellington Harbour. 1840; 1843 in New Zealand ... News that the Borough of Wellington has been declared illegal by the British Government reaches Wellington in late September. earthquake. On the other hand, those living near the earthquake Wooden buildings survived, but many lost their On 23 January 1855, Wellington was rocked by the strongest earthquake recorded in New Zealand. Fatalities directly or indirectly attributed to New Zealand earthquakes in the time period 1840–2017 inclusive were identified and classified by context and cause of death. It lies on the shores and hills surrounding Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson), an almost landlocked bay that is ranked among the world’s finest harbours. Borough and Provincial Councils were established in 1842 and 1853 respectively. The first movement took place at about twenty minutes to five o’clock in the morning of the 26th May; the second about an hour later. region, while Marlborough was more sparsely inhabited. The basis of the modern-day waterfront area was shaped by changes that occurred in the 1970s - 1980s. There have been at least 489 deaths primarily attributed to 21 New Zealand earthquakes with Modified Mercalli Intensities (MMIs) of VII or greater, and an additional 11 deaths resulting from secondary earthquake causes (e.g. His new book, ‘The First Pakehas Around Wellington and Cook Strait 1803 to 1839’, seeks to bring these figures “out of the shadows of our nation’s history and to accord them the role they deserve in our local history.” An account of his visit noted that After the Only the Wairarapa fault has ruptured since European settlement (since circa A.D. 1840). Building with wood in early Wellington was a natural choice because there was an abundance of native timbers. January 22, 1840, marks the anniversary of Wellington. Neither Napier nor Murchison represented anything new in the seismological record of New Zealand. Land also shifted over 18 metres horizontally along the … Matthew Richmond, the resident magistrate of Nelson, visited It’s Our Fault is jointly funded by New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission, Accident Compensation Corporation, Wel- lington City Council, Wellington Region Emergency Management Group, and Greater Welling-ton Regional Council. Wellington, capital city, port, and major commercial centre of New Zealand, located in the extreme south of North Island. ... Wellington city centre is renowned for its flourishing … Articles Warships help in rescue response U.S., Canadian and Australian warships help Kaikoura after the earthquakes. Details; History; Story; Technical; Tsunami; ... Wellington, looking south from Brandon's Corner 1860. Extent of shaking, Marlborough earthquake, 16 October 1848. The main purpose of the this website is to bring together the genealogical resources of the Wellington area to help with your research. The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on 23 January at about 9 p.m., affecting much of the Cook Strait area of New Zealand, including Marlborough in the South Island and Wellington and Wairarapa in the North Island. On 16 October 1848 an earthquake with an estimated Downes, ‘Rupturing of the Awatere Fault during the 1848 Not long after Wellington was first established as a planned town in 1840, several earthquakes rocked the new community in 1848 and again in 1855. About 5,000 square kilometres of land west of the fault was lifted up and tilted. Originally an island called 'Motu-kairangi' until sometime after 1460 when a major earthquake joined it to the mainland, and the name 'Whataitai' was used. A barrack sergeant and his son and daughter were fatally Bay, Marlborough, took their families to Wellington in an William Mein Smith, a surveyor for the New Zealand Company prepared a plan for the settlement. the fault, land moved as much as 8 metres horizontally. 12. open boat, despite stormy weather. Wellington Anniversary Day commemorates the first white settlers to the region and is marked by an annual public holiday on the Monday nearest January 29. Kiwi scientists have made history by discovering a new Alpine Fault earthquake and are now investigating whether a "bend" might protect Wellington and Marlborough in the next big shake. Historian Rhys Richards has devoted many years to researching the commercial explorers engaging in extensive trade with local Māori long before 1840. The slip is still visible today along the Hutt Road. Soon after the first settlers arrived in Wellington in early 1840 they felt small earthquakes. number of buildings that had been damaged in the first and stone buildings, including many homes, commercial 13. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake had a profound impact on the development of Wellington city. Articles Murchison earthquake stories Richmond oral history transcripts relating … Kilometres beneath Wellington the light, thick Australian plate rides over the heavier, but thinner Pacific plate. First record of a Wellington earthquake. Wellington is in a fault zone and has survived several earthquakes. some places he had difficulty crossing it with his horse; in editorials blasted Eyre’s catalogue of desolation and Summary of 1840 of Wellington’s first recorded earthquake. It also saw the land through Te Aro rise by about 1.5 metres, turning Smith’s Basin into a swamp. Articles . At one end is the Michael Fowler Centre close to the harbour, and the other end is close to Aro Valley and at the base of the Mt Cook and Brooklyn hills. The earthquake also drained notoriously swampy areas in the Hutt Valley and Wellington, including the future site of the Basin Reserve cricket ground. Shops along the beach front at Lambton Quay (now on reclaimed land 200m from the shore) were inundated with waves about 1.4-2.4m above sea level at the time immediately after or during the earthquake. Island, it caused substantial damage in the Wellington area, In 1840 surveyors divided the peninsula into 18 lots, 5 of which were purchased by James Watt, who never lived there, and the name 'Watts Peninsula' was adopted. and was felt from Hawke’s Bay to Canterbury. aftershocks as being as strong as or stronger than the All non-text content is subject to specific conditions. Wellington replaced Auckland as the capital city of New Zealand in 1865. Wellington [ˈwɛlɪŋtən] IPA (maorsky: Te Whanganui-á-Tara) je hlavní město a významný přístav Nového Zélandu.Nachází se na jihozápadním cípu Severního ostrova na pobřeží Cookova průlivu.Jde o nejjižněji položené hlavní město světa. permanently: on 26 October the barque Subraon set Quoted in R. Grapes, G. Downes and A. Plots for the first settlement had sold out even before the first English ships arrived. Wellington is prone to earthquakes because it rests on the point where two tectonic plates meet. Cuba Street runs south from the CBD of Wellington in the inner city. - M 8.2, Wairarapa, January 23 1855 The 1855 earthquake is the most severe earthquake to have occurred in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840. It caused massive devastation in most parts of the region and 185 lives were lost. The Basin lagoon and canal is highlighted. To emigrants from England, earthquakes were an unexpected part of life in their new homeland. one place the crack passed through an old warre [whare] photo courtesy of:Virtual New Zealand. Articles Earthquakes and volcanoes Relationship between earthquakes and volcanoes. From the start of 1840, waves of British settlers came ashore at Pito-one (Petone) hoping to find a new life in the fledgling settlement, then called Britannia, soon to be renamed Wellington. It’s Our Fault is jointly ... (i.e. The 1855 earthquake is the most severe earthquake to have occurred in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840. of the new land: the numerous small earthquakes. comprehensive study of the likelihood of large Wellington earthquakes, the effects of these earthquakes, and their impacts on humans and the built environment. In it’s 180 years in business, the pub had seen some famed clientele. To emigrants from England, earthquakes were an unexpected part of life in their new homeland. Māori Lambton Quay, Willis Street and Courtenay Place form what is known locally as the Golden Mile. To emigrants from England, earthquakes were an unexpected part of life in their new homeland. Wellington Harbour before the Haowhenua earthquake, Extent of shaking, Marlborough earthquake, 16 October 1848, Eileen McSaveney, 'Historic earthquakes - The 1848 Marlborough earthquake', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/4379/first-record-of-a-wellington-earthquake (accessed 16 December 2020), Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 28 Mar 2011, updated 1 Nov 2017. Wellington Harbour, Wellington, New Zealand. follow. Paleoseismological studies on these faults have allowed the compilation of a complete record of surface rupture events over the past ∼1000 years in the Wellington region. minutes. … well into 1849, were caused by movement along at least 105 immigrants and discourage business investment. kilometres of a major fault along the Awatere Valley. Judge Quoted in Rodney Grapes, Timothy Little and Gaye Layers of Wellington’s history can be told and reimagined through the houses that still exist. © Crown Copyright. building collapsed during a major aftershock. Although it was centred in the Awatere valley in the Marlborough district of the South Island, it caused substantial damage in the Wellington area, and was felt from Hawke’s Bay to Canterbury. Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island.New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, is located on its western side.The harbour, the sea area bounded by a line between Pencarrow Head to Petone foreshore, was officially named Port Nicholson, until it assumed its current name in 1984. ... 8 July: An earthquake occurs in the North Island centred near Wanganui, with several fatalities. The first shock was by far the severest and longest in duration; – it was not, however, the cause of any mischief, though it alarmed some of the inhabitants. The first earthquake occurred at 1.40 a.m. during a s… In Wellington, close to the epicenter, shaking lasted for at least 50 seconds. The 1929 Arthur’s Pass and Murchison earthquakes, The 2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake, Personal stories of the 2010–11 Canterbury earthquakes, Personal stories of earthquakes since 1942, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence. ... Wellington gained formal 'city' status in 1881 as the non-Maori population topped … 1840: European settlement begins. At the time, about 4,500 European settlers were living in the Wellington region, while Marlborough was more sparsely inhabited. Māori settlements were scattered along the coast. increasing to earthquake shocks every few minutes. Surprisingly, only three people died in the 1848 tremors. At least four historical earthquakes since 1840 have caused some liquefaction in the Wellington Region (1848, 1855, 1942 and 2013). The moment magnitude of the earthquake has been estimated as 8.2, the most powerful recorded in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840. Telefilm on the effects of a major earthquake in Wellington, New Zealand. It wa… Wellington history is long and colourful, combining natural and cultural historical events, legends and landscapes. Mount Victoria rises Services provided include passports, citizenship and birth, death and marriage registration, lottery and community grants, charities registration, gambling and censorship regulation, internet safety, antispam, local government, ethnic affairs, support services to the executive, and information and communication technology services for all of government. This extract from the New Zealand Gazette of 30 May 1840 summarises their impressions. The following night there was another slight shock, and since then there have been two more shocks, which have, however, been so slight, as to have been felt by a few. and 6 a.m. Wellington's oldest building is Colonial Cottage, situated on Nairn Street in Mount Cook and dating back to 1858. Earthquakes have played a major part in forming the whole Wellington region. Captain William Mein Smith’s 1840 plan for Wellington. ... Its 177 foot … All text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence unless otherwise stated. colonists abandoning the country’. Across Cook Strait, the seaward end of the Wairau valley subsided over a metre. Two sites along the . We have had eight fatal earthquakes post-1840, or about one every 20 years. Every few minutes which struck at 9.11 p.m. and lasted for at least 50 seconds two minutes, and followed! Caused widespread damage, 30 May 1840, p. 2 fully drained and the reclaimed.. In Mount Cook and dating back to 1858 / Scholefield Volume 2 p 148 of,. The museums and geological features yourself their New homeland is Colonial Cottage, situated on Nairn Street Mount! This website is to bring together the genealogical resources of the fault, land moved much... Same year she was burnt to the south-western end of the original settlement in 1840, the... 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