Tracking Shots
Flashbacks: New Zealand History on Film
Terrible Earthquake Disaster
At 10.46am on Tuesday 3 February 1931, an earthquake hit the Hawke’s Bay, 256 people were killed and nearly all the buildings in central Napier and Hastings were leveled.
The quake lasted two and a half minutes and measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. More than 500 aftershocks were felt over the next few days.
The local landscape changed dramatically, coastal areas around Napier were lifted by about two metres and around 40 km of seabed became dry land – where the airport, housing and industrial property developments now exist.
The death toll might have been much higher had the Royal Navy ship HMS Veronica not been in port. The sailors joined survivors to fight the fires, rescue trapped people and administer medical treatment.
Few films exist of Napier before the quake. Rebuilt in the Art Deco style for which it is now famous, the city has become a popular film topic. Many cameramen, professional and amateur, filmed the devastation in 1931.
Please note: These videos are in the QuickTime format. You will need to have the QuickTime player installed in order to view these files.
