# ...Big Earthquake in New Zealand **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843 "2016-11-13T16:22:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/1 "2016-11-13T16:22:21Z")
…Big earthquake here in New Zealand. The big one was centered down south, but it was felt over most of the country. And there have been related shocks since then all morning. ☹ > **[Live: 7.8 New Zealand earthquake](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/86416304/live-north-canterbury-quake)** > > Demolition work will be carried out at Queensgate Shopping Centre "with urgency". I was taking part in a sleep study at hospital. And I had just fallen asleep. And it was the deepest, richest sleep I had had in years. And an hour and a half later the ground began to move. Violently. I’ve lived in Wellington all my life, and earthquakes are normal here. But this was BIG. and LONG. My parents house was in a Tsunami zone and they have no transport: so I told the nurse I had to go and raced home in case we had to move. All looks okay so far here but if the sirens go we can get going in a couple of minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/2 "2016-11-13T16:23:22Z")
Just saw the headlines about it a couple minutes ago. Hoping for the very best for all New Zealand Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/3 "2016-11-13T17:24:23Z")
Seriously: I hope the interrupted sleep is the worst consequence for you and everyone. Not seriously: Did you forget about a god telling you not to go to sleep or something? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/4 "2016-11-13T23:40:33Z")
Two dead, but no details yet how. The slips on the coastal highway look to be quite definitively bad. My family all live in Dunedin, so they’re safe at least. I have a suspicion this quake will be a precursor to a worse one. I hope I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/5 "2016-11-14T01:47:42Z")
I hope the damages are limited compared to the earthquake there a few years ago; good on you heading to family. You’ll get to retry the sleep study, surely. Safe and peaceful wishes to you and yours! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/6 "2016-11-14T12:37:12Z")
There’s some incredible images circulating after the New Zealand quake. I never realized it could reshape the land in such a dramatic way. Lot of destruction. These people effected will need a lot of help. Lots of tourists need rescuing too. Three cows stranded on a clump of remaining ground. Just incredible how the ground has disappeared around them. I hope someone can rescue them. They won’t last long without water. > **[SEE IT: Cattle rescued after New Zealand quake strands them on patch of land...](https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/new-zealand-quake-strands-cattle-land-spared-slides-article-1.2871745)** > > For three cows, the powerful New Zealand quake proved an udderly dire situation. Landslide obliterates roads. [![](https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1566600/nz-earthquake.jpg?w%3D400&imgrefurl=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/second-earthquake-magnitude-6-2-hits-new-zealand-1591346&docid=_KSt2Rk1YXsoMM&tbnid=TSnocL9fPSwmKM:&vet=1&w=400&h=266&source=sh/x/im) ](https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1566600/nz-earthquake.jpg?w%3D400&imgrefurl=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/second-earthquake-magnitude-6-2-hits-new-zealand-1591346&docid=_KSt2Rk1YXsoMM&tbnid=TSnocL9fPSwmKM:&vet=1&w=400&h=266&source=sh/x/im) [https://goo.gl/images/tzB4ls](https://goo.gl/images/tzB4ls) [https://goo.gl/images/YP3l8y](https://goo.gl/images/YP3l8y) thousands stranded and towns cut off – as it happened > **[Thousands stranded and towns cut off after New Zealand quakes – as it happened](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/nov/14/new-zealand-earthquake-evacuations-tsnuami-east-coast-south-north-islands)** > > Latest updates as scale of damage across parts New Zealand’s South and North Islands becomes clear ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/7 "2016-11-14T12:44:59Z")
Those aren’t even the most amazing shots. Look at this: > ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/8 "2016-11-14T12:53:01Z")
My brother sent some photos through, he’s got to work out how to get freight trucks through roads like this: [![](https://i.imgur.com/ivvJo6F.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ivvJo6F.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/f6LTlli.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/f6LTlli.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/cc08AJp.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/cc08AJp.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/1AMlDFo.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/1AMlDFo.jpg) And my parent’s house was halfway through its rebuild from the 2011 earthquake, it’s taken them years to get a settlement so they could start rebuilding and now this. This is not what I’d hoped for their retirement years. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/9 "2016-11-14T12:53:48Z")
Geez,. That’s going to take years to fix. Landslides do massive amounts of damage. Usually in California it’s buildings damaged or a freeway overpass pancaked. New Zealand’s landslides seem much worse. These people need our prayers and support. I hope the World Aid organizations are mobilizing. The US should be sending aid soon. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/10 "2016-11-14T16:07:13Z")
My wife talked to cousins that live in NZ, all are okay. One cousin in Sefton had a shed fall over and their TV fell off the stand it was on. 3 years ago at this time my wife and I were in New Zealand and saw much of the damage in and around Christchurch. And seeing the road to Kaikoura wiped out gave me chills, we drove that road on our road trip around the South Island. We are planning on going back at Christmas time in 2017, don’t know if this will make us change our minds. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/11 "2016-11-14T16:15:41Z")
In case anyone is confused I merged two threads on the same subject. The first one was started by **Banquet Bear** , the other by **aceplace57**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/12 "2016-11-14T16:50:12Z")
I took a 10-day vacation on the South Island in 2015, wonderful place with wonderful people, but I noted that Christchurch was still mindful of the damage done by the 2011 earthquake (I hope the church they were restoring came though ok). I was probably on that road to Kaikoura with my tour, most roads a 2-lane and if they are disrupted, detours will be long and expensive. Best to all the Kiwis. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/13 "2016-11-14T17:48:31Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > And my parent’s house was halfway through its rebuild from the 2011 earthquake, it’s taken them years to get a settlement so they could start rebuilding and now this. This is not what I’d hoped for their retirement years. ☹ Wow, talk about adding insult to injury! ☹ Glad your family is ok but I sympathize with the mental and physical toll this will take on everyone. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/14 "2016-11-14T20:49:24Z")
Just as I suspected: You legalized Gay Marriage! AHA! Divine Retribution! p.s. - never have a grade of more than 1:1 (45 degrees) on road cut-throughs. 2:1 (30 degrees) much better. See: Devil’s Slide CA (just south of Half Moon Bay). It has been replaced after decades of argument. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/15 "2016-11-14T21:24:40Z")
So no [Big Gay Rainbow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQXQxadyps), just a big gay earthquake three years later? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/16 "2016-11-15T01:15:04Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Not seriously: Did you forget about a god telling you not to go to sleep or something? :smack: 😃 > [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > I hope the damages are limited compared to the earthquake there a few years ago; good on you heading to family. > You’ll get to retry the sleep study, surely. > Safe and peaceful wishes to you and yours! …the only casualty is the television. “Bang crash gone!” Apart from the cat being a bit jumpy all else is good in our household. Thank you for your thoughts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/17 "2016-11-15T04:31:56Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > p.s. - never have a grade of more than 1:1 (45 degrees) on road cut-throughs. 2:1 (30 degrees) much better. You realise that improving NZ’s roads to meet this standard would essentially involve the entirety of every road in the country? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/18 "2016-11-15T05:12:51Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > :smack: 😃 > > …the only casualty is the television. “Bang crash gone!” Apart from the cat being a bit jumpy all else is good in our household. Thank you for your thoughts. 🙂 That would make me jumpy, too! Soothing ear scritches to your kitty. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/19 "2016-11-15T10:17:55Z")
I know I’m being oversensitive and people mean well, but I hope those in this thread will allow me to just vent a little… Coming up to me and saying “Oh, isn’t it awful” then proceeding to tell me about your wonderful NZ holiday or your friend’s wonderful NZ holiday then walking away without even asking me if my family are safe… yeah, that’s not exactly thoughful. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843/20 "2016-11-16T03:06:52Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > I know I’m being oversensitive and people mean well, but I hope those in this thread will allow me to just vent a little… > > Coming up to me and saying “Oh, isn’t it awful” then proceeding to tell me about your wonderful NZ holiday or your friend’s wonderful NZ holiday then walking away without even asking me if my family are safe… yeah, that’s not exactly thoughful. I read one post over on io9 which said “So sorry about that earthquake and shit, but any chance of emigrating to NZ after the recent election?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-earthquake-in-new-zealand/771843.md?page=2)