Long or strong, get gone — the natural warning, what to do during and after a big earthquake, which parts of town flood, and how to find your evacuation zone. Not a live alert.
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Kaikōura sits on the edge of one of New Zealand's most active earthquake coasts, close to the Hikurangi subduction zone and the offshore faults. A tsunami here would be locally made — the earthquake is the only warning that comes in time. This page is what to do; it is not an alert and cannot tell you a wave is coming. Know your zone now, so you don't have to think about it later.
Long or strong? Get gone.
If an earthquake lasts longer than a minute, or is strong enough that it's hard to stand up, don't wait for an official warning — move immediately to high ground or as far inland as you can, on foot. A tsunami from a quake this close can arrive in minutes, before any siren, phone alert or this page. That is New Zealand's official advice for this coast.
Two questions. There is no other check to make — if both are yes, go now.
Drop to your hands and knees before the shaking knocks you down.
Cover your head and neck — get under a sturdy table if you can, or against an interior wall away from windows.
Hold on to your shelter (or your head and neck) until the shaking stops.
The moment the shaking stops, go — on foot or by bike. Don't drive: roads and bridges may be damaged and traffic will jam.
Head inland and uphill, out of the marked red and orange tsunami zones, and keep going until you're well clear.
Take others with you — help children, older neighbours and anyone who needs a hand. Don't go back for belongings.
Don't wait for an all-clear to leave, and don't go to the shore to watch. The first wave is often not the largest, and waves can keep coming for hours.
The safe line — above the mapped tsunami zone — Get out of the red and orange zones
From the town flat, the safe move is inland and uphill — away from the seafront and South Bay, toward the rising ground and terraces behind the town. If you're out on the peninsula, climb to the clifftop rather than heading for the low shelf at Point Kean. Anywhere outside the marked red and orange zones is the goal; keep moving until you're well clear, and stay there.
Inland and uphill, behind the town flat
The rising ground and terraces back from the seafront and South Bay — any ground outside the red and orange zones. Check the official map for where the zones end.
The high ground of the peninsula
If a quake catches you out on the peninsula, climb to the clifftop and higher ground rather than making for the low shelf at Point Kean.
The Esplanade and town beachfront
The flat along the seafront and the streets nearest the water are low and open to the sea.
South Bay and the harbour
The boat ramp, the wharf and the low ground around South Bay sit right on the water on the south side of the peninsula.
Point Kean and the peninsula shore
The uplifted rock shelf and the seal-colony car park at the tip of the peninsula are barely above the sea. The exact zone boundaries are on the official map below.
When the magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck just after midnight on 14 November 2016, the first tsunami waves reached the Kaikōura coast within about ten minutes. The sea rose three to four metres above normal along this coast and ran up to nearly seven metres at Goose Bay, just south of town. The quake itself was the only warning that came in time.
Stay out until officials say it's safe
Canterbury Civil Defence (CDEM)
Regional emergency management for the Kaikōura district
Kaikōura District Council — civil defence status
Local alerts and updates when something is happening
What this page is, and what it is not
Town Tools builds free, public tools for Kaikōura and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.
GeoNet
Official earthquake information for New Zealand; report a quake you felt
Know your zone — Canterbury tsunami evacuation map — Find your street and check whether it sits in the red, orange or yellow zone — before you ever need to.