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Story: Historic earthquakes

Coastal landslide

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Coastal landslide

This watercolour, painted by Charles Emilius Gold, shows a landslide blocking the coastal track between Wellington and the Hutt Valley after the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake. The quake raised the land around the coast, making it possible to build the Hutt Road.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: B-103-016

by Charles Emilius Gold

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, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/4434/coastal-landslide (accessed 4 June 2026).

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