Story: Historic earthquakes

Remembering the 1855 quake

Elsie Harris talks about the 1855 earthquake. Her grandparents owned a farm near the Pāuatahanui Inlet, which was affected by the quake. The image shows a watercolour of nearby Porirua Harbour, painted about 1842.

Sound file: Elsie Harris, interview by Jennifer Jones, 1988 (2'54"–3'48") Alexander Turnbull Library, OHC-011373

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: B-031-006
Watercolour by Samuel Charles Brees

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Historic earthquakes - The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/speech/4709/remembering-the-1855-quake (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 28 Mar 2011, updated 1 Nov 2017