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Story: Historic earthquakes

Extent of shaking, Wairarapa earthquake, 24 June 1942

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  • Level Two:

    Slight shaking, normally felt only by people at rest or on upper floors.

  • Level Three:

    Felt indoors as similar to vibration from a passing truck; may not be recognised as an earthquake.

  • Level Four:

    Generally noticed indoors as a jolt, or similar to vibration from heavy traffic; glassware and crockery rattle; liquids slightly disturbed; buildings may creak.

  • Level Five:

    Generally felt indoors and outside; most sleepers wakened and a few people alarmed; small objects displaced and broken; a few windows cracked.

  • Level Six:

    Felt by all; people and animals alarmed; difficulty in walking steadily; objects fall from shelves; unstable furniture tipped over; slight damage to some masonry buildings and weak chimneys damaged.

  • Level Seven:

    General alarm; difficulty standing; car drivers may stop; unreprced stone and brick walls cracked, and some buildings damaged; unrestrained water cylinders may move and burst; small rockfalls and landslides.

  • Level Eight:

    Alarm may approach panic; cars hard to steer; some buildings damaged, and weaker ones may collapse; small to moderate landslides; water generally disturbed.

VIII VII VI V IV III II WELLINGTON CHRISTCHURCH Masterton AUCKLAND DUNEDIN WAIRARAPA  

Roll over isoseismal lines for information

The Modified Mercalli scale (from 1 to 12) measures earthquakes by the intensity of shaking observed. Reports from historical records and diaries were used to compile this map, which shows the extent of shaking from the Wairarapa earthquake of 1942. From an intensity of 8 at the epicentre near Masterton, the isoseismal lines spread outwards. Shaking was felt as far afield as Auckland in the north and Dunedin in the south.

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: G. L. Downes, Atlas of isoseismal maps of New Zealand earthquakes. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, 1995.

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Historic earthquakes – The 1942 Wairarapa earthquakes, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/4510/extent-of-shaking-wairarapa-earthquake-24-june-1942 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 November 2017.