The 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake

Archives New Zealand:  "At 1.35 p.m. on 2 March 1987, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the Bay of Plenty region, cutting power and sending many people outdoors. Minutes later a much stronger quake rocked the region. This main shock, at 1.42 p.m., had a magnitude of 6.3 and was centred north of Edgecumbe. Four aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5 occurred in the next six hours, and smaller aftershocks were felt for weeks."  

Earthquake damage

Wikipedia: 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake: 

"The hypocentre was at a shallow depth of 8 km. The epicentre was 2.24 kilometres south-south-east of Matata, and 15 kilometres north-north-west of Edgecumbe, on the Rangitaiki Plains which lie within the Taupo Volcanic Zone... The most damage was in the towns of Edgecumbe, Te Teko, Kawerau, Matata and Thornton, where chimneys toppled and poorly constructed houses were seriously damaged." 

Wikipedia: 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake: 

"The hardest hit was Edgecumbe, with damage to approximately 50% of its houses. There was extensive damage to its milk factory, with large storage tanks toppled. Railway tracks in the town were bent and buckled, and an 80-tonne New Zealand Railways DC class locomotive toppled over."  

The Edgecumbe Fault

Archives New Zealand: 

"The most spectacular effect of the Edgecumbe earthquake was the 7-kilometre-long rift that appeared across the Rangitāiki Plains – the Edgecumbe Fault. A fissure up to 3 metres wide and 3–4 metres deep opened up along much of the fault, although some sections were marked just by zones of cracks. The earthquake had been caused by movement along the fault; the land to the north-west had dropped by up to 2 metres." 

Aftermath: CIVIL Defence, local community & Government support

The Evening Post had reported the next day,

"Devastated Edgecumbe resembled a war zone this morning as soldiers mingled with police and residents in the main street while an air force helicopter thudded overhead...And on the outskirts of town tents could be seen pitched beside shattered houses and in paddocks – evidence that residents were still fearful of further big shakes..."  The damage is far greater than first thought," Civil Defence controller Bryan Guy said. "There is quite serious building damage, road damage and footpath damage." 

Cited by Tom Hunt (15 April 2017):  https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/91530921/flashback-a-monday-afternoon-and-edgecumbes-ripped-apart

Memories of the earthquake

Local residents' experiences of the earthquake were shared in the newsmedia, over the fence and when back at their workplaces. Visitors to the area during the earthquake also included the National Library of New Zealand Extension Services Field Librarian who was driving the bookvan to the Edgecumbe township. When back at the Hamilton office, colleagues were given a description of what was seen, felt and heard. Memories of the earthquake have also been recorded for the Bay of Plenty Earthquake Oral History Project, 1987 and written for the 20th Anniversary Earthquake Memories Project, 2007 (Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum).  

Review of the earthquake

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(This DigitalNZ story was compiled on 7 March 2021)