Dave Rondon
I just loved the whole thing....earthquakes are my buzz...not only the euphoria of the earthquake taking place but also talking and finding out about the dynamics of such an event. (It’s the after affects on other people I’m not to happy with, but as long as there are no fatalities then choice!). My memory of that day was sitting in a 13 tonne crane which was bouncing up and down and the steel work (4 tons of it) around me jumping off the ground - awesome energy.
Bev Osborne
My husband was in the coronary care unit at Whakatane hospital at the time of the earthquake. My daughter and I arrived at the hospital and walked up the stairs to the 4th floor and the first quake shook the building as we walked along the corridor to the ward. The lino rolled back at the joints in the floor and a bit of dust was raised. The nurses looked a bit scared too.
We then were in the ward and a chap in the bed opposite my husband said there is nothing to worry about as the hospital is earthquake proof as it was designed that way. Then all of a sudden the big one came and we rushed for the doorway my husband unplugging himself off all the monitoring equipment he was on. The lights in the hospital went out, there was a huge cloud of dust to be seen at Whale Island, then all the water began pouring down covering the floor with about four inches of water. We decided then that we had to get the patients and ourselves out of the hospital, so we headed for the emergency stairs at the back of the hospital helping really sick patients down the stairs with blocks of concrete falling all around us as we went. Somehow no one was injured.
We then had all the patients sitting in the carpark at the hospital with doctors doing the rounds and deciding what was best for the patients. The doctor wrote a prescription for my husband and said Kawerau is quite safe so you get this prescription filled and go home. Well now that was a bigger exercise than first anticipated. We could not get out of Whakatane over the Landing road bridge so we filled the prescription in Kope then headed for the Taneatua rail bridge there were quite large cracks in the roads and when we got to Awakeri we were told you can not go any further you must climb this hill at Awakeri and stay there as the Matahina Dam may burst at any time.
You must realise that my husband had only a couple of days before this had a heart attack. I also forgot to mention that it was a really lovely hot summers day when we left Kawerau to go to Whakatane.
We climbed this hill and sat there with many people who had been evacuated from surrounding places. It was pretty scary as after a while it began to rain and none of us were prepared for that, being dressed in light summer clothes. Then some of the people arrived with blankets, and food, boxes of apples etc. Everyone was getting prepared to be up there all night. A helicopter came and checked if everyone was alright. After sitting there for several hours and when it was almost dark my daughter found out that we could travel home via McDonalds road and Edgecumbe (she had two very young children who were at school at the time) I also had a boy at Kawerau College and of course we were wondering where they were, and if they were safe).
We headed for Edgecumbe there were large cracks in the roads and the roads around bridges had sunk a bit. We arrived in Edgecumbe and it was just like a ghost town with large cracks in footpaths toppled chimneys, wrecked dairy factory, power poles at odd angles a real mess. There was not a person to be seen anywhere. All the time we were being buffetted by after shocks. We travelled to Kawerau and came into the town by the Rotoma end turnoff.
It was just on dark when we arrived home to an awful mess, no electricity fish tank and fish all over the carpet mixed up with pot plants, the fridge and stove both had moved out from the wall and were shifted sideways, books all over the floor, my son had a large can collection which was also all over the floor. All the wardrobe and linen cupboard doors were flung open and the contents dumped on the floor.
However luckily in the kitchen everything was still in the cupboards as we have sliding doors on our cupboards and nothing was broken just one glass in the china cabinet. One of our older sons arrived around with a generator which gave us some light, and we sat up all night as there were so many after shocks which rattled everything. My daughter arrived at her home to find her children and husband out in the tent in their backyard where they slept that night.
We must remember that 20 years ago we did not have cell phones, and had to rely on our battery radios for information as there was no power. Even today in large disasters phone lines, cell phones, water, etc can be affected. So please be prepared and join up with the organisations that are there to assist in major disasters. Like SAR, Fire brigade, St. John, and Amateur Radio Emergency Cor. As without these volunteers who are part of all our communities we would be on our own.
One thing I learnt was never to leave home without taking some warm clothing with you even if it is a really hot day as you never know what is going to happen in this unpredictable land of New Zealand.
My husband was again admitted to hospital 3 days after the earthquake (to Rotorua hospital) as Whakatane hospital was quite badly damaged in the earthquake. He had a triple bypass surgery at Greenlane hospital in June 1987 and is luckily still with us.
Laura Savage
I was 11 at the time sitting on the mat at Edgecumbe Primary School. I still live in Edgecumbe today, what a great experience.
Lisa of Whakatane
I was six at the time. That day we were on a class trip to 1XX and the pet shop next door. When the first quake hit half the class was in the pet shop watching animals go everywhere. I am sure I was in the radio station but my memory is a little fuzzy about it. We returned to James Street School before the second quake. I remember sitting on the field convinced it was going to open up. I slept under the table for a week afterwards. Earthquakes still scare me a bit. Today, I work in Whakatane close to where I was at the time.
Claire, formerly of Whakatane
I was 9 at the time, shivering under our desks as the first quake hit. My most vivid memory is of my friend Paul crying and holding my hand as he seemed more scared than me.. out on to the field we went, kids crying, screaming, pure fear coming from such tiny bodies.. then that big bugger hit. I watched the sandpit at James Street Primary, wrench itself sideways a few times before it collapsed, that perhaps was the saddest memory! Poor ol' sand pit was gone! :( .. waiting on the field thinking where the hell is Mum! The she turned up with the littlies in tow, home we went to find a mess, scoup up the cat, pack the car and off to Grandma's in Athenree.. Not sure how we got across the bridge as memory fails there, but the cracks in the road in front of the board mills are still etched into my mind today, and I am still somewhat terrified of quakes.. thankfully none in Hamilton!
Lynn
We were happily having a cup of tea when the hot water cylinder moved in the hot water cupboard in the kitchen, we checked it and it seemed okay. My friend was heavily pregnant and I saw her unborn baby jump around, I commented and said baby’s moving a lot, she said no he’s not and then all of a sudden all hell broke loose, the microwave flew off the wall, the house was twisting and groaning, we could not stand and crawled through broken glass to the back door, fell down the steps and stumbled across the rolling and heaving ground and hung onto the clothesline.
Our swimming pool turned into a tidal monster and emptied is contents all over us. We made a dash to the park across the road, and watched the power poles in the street lean over and almost touch the ground. People were screaming and dogs were running around the area trying to sit on people (vivid memory) the higher they could get off the ground the better.
The sound of the earth groaning is something you never forget and the eerie silence that follows. As mums we had to make our way to schools to pick up children, driving on the road was like riding a rollercoaster, we found our kids in the middle of the school ground sitting on the ground that was moving like waves on a beach, it was terrifying. There was no power and no communications. Neighbours had to help each other out.
We all slept in our clothes in the dark that night with quakes every minute or so, very frightening. Like most people in that area we sustained a lot of damage to our property. It is frightening to think that the Plains slumped over two metres, rivers ran in opposite directions. You never forget it and any jolt brings back memories and you go through it all over again even after all this time.
Bruce Bryenton
I am the Bruce that rang 1XX after the earthquake to tell you that Edgecumbe was where all the damage was rather than Whakatane which is what the first 1XX reports stated. There is a lot more I remember, even giving one of your own people a lift from in town back to the studio.
Tracy Holm
I was at Edgecumbe College at the time of the 'quake. I remember being in history class, we'd just finished a test (pity it couldn't have happened a few minutes earlier huh?). I have vivid memories of struggling to hold the desk over me while we slid around the floor like out of control dodgem cars. I remember arguing with a friend afterwards that another friend had been by me during the quake, she felt that she'd been by her. Turns out she'd ended up in both places. Our teacher, Uncle Jerry, yelled at kids to get under desks, one kid yelled back that he was trying as it was nearly impossible. I was never more glad in my life to see my Mum come across the field, she was the second parent at the school that day.
George Gray
Back in '87 I was travelling around New Zealand with a German friend. We had been living in UK and have good friends there. When the earthquake struck we were in Hawkes Bay, (Earthquake country!) and didn't feel a thing. Our British friends telephoned friends and contacts in Auckland to find out how we were, such was the hype in the British media. Apparently the North Island has been lost at sea, according to the news in UK! We only learned of this some days later when we checked in with our Auckland friends, so called UK to reassure them that we were fine, and blissfully unaware of the quake!
Jann Berryman
I had just left work at Whakatane Hospital and was sitting in 1XX carpark when it happened. It was so freaky I was watching their big glass windows in the front of their building flexing in and out like a piece of cardboard. We drove down Commerce Street and the power board windows were all smashed so were Commerce Street Autos. At that stage I still wasn't sure what had happened until Brian at Commerce Street Autos told me. There were people running everywhere in all directions, traffic everywhere, parents trying to get to daycares, kindys and schools to check on their loved ones. I went straight back to the hospital to help and OMG what a mess. On route there were patients running down the streets in gowns and jamas. There was water greeting me at the bottom of the stairs when I arrived like a water fall and we didn't know where to start. Luckily our family had moved from Edgecumbe to Ohope 17 months earlier. 20 years on and I think we will always remember "that" day. My family and I are now living in Australia and thankfully we don't seem to get earthquakes here and that I am very pleased about.
Matt Bullen
I was in history class with Pat Rafter, he must have been in his 60's maybe older, I remember all the tough kids hiding under the desks and jumping out through the door, Pat just stood by the board, one hand on his hip, and said "This is the safest room in the school, everything will be fine!", we were in one of the old prefabs, we were all crapping ourselves but he just stood there, cool as ice. Dad was the News Editor at 1XX at the time so we didn't see him for a few days and Mum was a kindy teacher at Kawerau, I don't think she was able to get home either, we stayed at my sister’s boyfriend’s place with his folks, man that's a long time ago!