It was the big one scientists have been talking about for years but the massive earthquake which hit the South Island was more shake than shatter.
There was no loss of life, there've been no injuries and
no major damage .
At 7.8 on the Richter scale it's New Zealand's
biggest tremor in 78 years .
In Queenstown, it was clean up time on Thursday.
"The drinks, the fizzies, they were all coming down like missiles. As soon as they hit the ground just exploded and took off everywhere," says a supermarket proprietor.
There was no serious damage, just confusion as staff and customers tried to work out what was going on.
"Everything just started going ballistic, just really mad. (I) wasn't sure whether to be scared or excited. (I) haven't been in one before, nothing like it, just wicked," says the supermarket proprietor.
One Central Otago family caught it all on camera, the children amazed as they watched the light swing from the ceiling.
At 7.8 this was New Zealand's biggest earthquake for nearly 80 years rolling.
In Tuatapere, there are cracks in the masonry and groceries all over the floor of a supermarket after a night to remember.
"It was moving sideways. The whole house it just moves and you just wait for the whole house to start breaking and the house to split. It was awful, it really was," says Michelle Watson, a Tuatapere resident.
The earthquake epicentre was Fiordland. And 100 kilometres south east is Tuatapere, which was way too close for many of the locals when the quake struck.
"(It) just sort of started going off, going one way, and in the end it stopped and went the other way altogether, which is a bizarre sort of feeling, sitting there in a house when its doing that," says Daman Groshinski, a Tapanui resident.
At the pub they had hardly had time to draw breath before the Japanese television stations were on the line.
"They didn't believe there were no injuries, no people . They thought the windows would've been blown out of the hotel and they couldn't believe that we were just staying here," says Pat Coats, Waiau Hotel duty manager.
Even the Prime Minister, John Key, acknowledges a lucky escape.
"A massive earthquake and I think New Zealand can thank its lucky stars when there doesn't seem to be massive damage," says Key.
Damage inspection teams agree, as even the south coast's historic Percy Burn Viaduct survived okay.
"There's no apparent damage. We won't know more until the engineers inspect the data we've collected," says Bryan Dynes, a Department of Conservation ranger.
There are plenty of stories to tell, including one Te Anau man's experience of being caught in the bath when the quake hit. Bill Verrall says the water spilled over the bath.
With aftershocks continuing all day, everyone has been on edge.
There have been hundreds of aftershocks and authorities will not be counting them until next week.
The Earthquake Commission has received 225 claims for damage, most of them for minor damage.
The commission's insurance manager, Lance Dixon, expects more will be lodged over the coming weeks.
Holders of current home and/or contents insurance automatically have Earthquake Commission cover for damage caused by earthquakes.The shaking in Southland has not let up, with four major aftershocks felt since the main quake last night.
The first, a 6.1-magnitude quake, struck at 9.41pm, Wednesday. It has been followed today by a magnitude 5.9 shake at 1.50am, a magnitude 5.3 at 12.24pm and a magnitude 5.5 at 12.44pm.
They follow the main 7.8-magnitude quake, which struck at 9.22pm, Wednesday, centred 100km northwest of Tuatapere with a focal depth of 12km.
The most recent aftershock this afternoon was felt in Central Otago and Southland, according to the Geonet website.
GNS technician Matthew Stevens said all four aftershocks were shallow at only 5km deep. "They would have been felt quite strongly at the surface," he said.
Geonet spokesman Kevin Fenaughty said there had been hundreds of minor shakes, but only major aftershocks - the ones people would have felt - were being recorded on the agency's website.
There had been about 200 reports from people who had felt the main earthquake last night, and those reports would be used to paint a picture of its overall reach and effect, Mr Fenaughty said.
Meanwhile, Despite the near-record magnitude of last night's earthquake in Fiordland, the Insurance Council says few claims have been lodged.
Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Chris Ryan said he was not expecting a lot to come.
The nature of the earthquake that hit, which has been described as a rolling motion, instead of sharp jolts, meant minimal damage might be reported, he said.
"From our point of view we'd be strongly encouraging people to check their properties, especially their chimneys."
CHECK-UP OPERATION
Civil Defence officers and Conservation Department staff started checks early this morning for possible damage in Southland and Fiordland following the earthquake.
"We have over 1200 structures in Fiordland National Park alone and we urge the public to let us know immediately if damage has occurred to any of them," DOC acting Te Anau area manager Andrew Cudby said.
The Department of Conservation has flown staff to Resolution Island, which was at the epicentre of the tremor. Staff on the island were okay, said Mr Cudby.
A surveillance flight would check for possible slips and damage to viewing platforms, huts and bridges in Fiordland.
Two tramping parties were also in Fiordland at the time, he said. One on the Kepler Track and the other on the Routeburn. The fly-over would also attempt to sight the trampers to check that they are okay.
Mr Cudby described the earthquake as "a long rolling motion, a bit like being on the sea."
Earlier, Invercargill police Inspector Olaf Jensen said there were no immediate reports of damage in the southern city, but the quake was significant enough to send staff into doorways.
Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Controller Neil Cruickshank said last night's earthquake gave the Southland region "a good shake" but was not particularly damaging.
"Invercargill reports that phone services were down in east Invercargill and power was out for some time in the suburb of Otatara because of the earthquake," he said.
Southland District Council said there were no reports of substantial damage in the Milford and Te Anau areas.
Mr Cruickshank said that, while there had been disruption to electricity supplies, power companies had reported no major problems, and the rail network was reported to be undamaged. "Telephone services are operational," he said.
TSUNAMI ALERT
The earthquake was about the same magnitude as the killer quake that devastated the Sichuan region of China in May 2008, leaving at least 68,000 people dead. It was also the same magnitude as the 1931 Napier earthquake, which caused the largest loss of life and most extensive damage of any quake in New Zealand's recorded history with 256 dead.
Soon after the quake hit, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued an advisory, which extended across the Tasman with Sydney and Australia's south-east coast put on alert.
The Sydney Morning Herald website reported last night that residents had been warned to keep away from the water's edge and a Sydney a performance at the Bondi Pavilion was cancelled and all theatregoers evacuated from the beachfront venue.
Mr Cruickshank said a 17cm wave had been detected at Jackson Bay on the West Coast and the tsunami warning had subsequently been cancelled.
In Doubtful Sound, the manager of the Deep Cove Hostel and his wife said the quake was so severe they hid under a table.
He had reported loud bangs in the area, which might indicate slips, and had heard water "swooshing loudly" in the sound.
Neither the Manapouri Power Station nor the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter reported any damage, but further assessments would be made today.
The Southland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group activated the region's emergency operations centre to assess damage reports.
Te Anau helicopter pilot Mark Deaker said he saw power lines arcing and sparks flying in the air.
An Invercargill man said the initial quake lasted at least a minute.
''Things just started to rattle a bit, then the house started to sway.''
He and his wife got their three young children out of bed and huddled under the dining table to wait it out.
Cracks had appeared around several door frames, he said.
Central Southland man Warren MacPherson said a hanging light in his house would have been swaying ''a good six inches each way''.
He was on the phone when the quake struck and rushed outside. ''By geez, there was a fair bit of movement,'' he said.
GNS Science geologist Bill Fry said scientists worked into the night to gather enough details on the site of the quakes to be able to assess any continuing risks to people or property.
"The shallower an earthquake is, the more shaking there's going to be – and this was quite shallow," he said.
Prime Minister John Key told a crowd of about 200 people in Invercargill today that he was in Christchurch last night when the earthquake hit and the earth did not move for him - nor his wife - despite the children being overseas.
Mr Key said he was happy to visit quake-affected areas if required.
"If there is significant damage or something that I can usefully be deployed to I will certainly go and have a look and lend a hand," Mr Key told Radio New Zealand.
Any government response would depend on damage which had yet to be assessed.
"All the feedback we've had so far is while it's been a large quake, certainly at this point no reported loss of life which is fantastic, and no great reports of damage."
NEW ZEALAND'S BIGGEST EARTHQUAKES
Notable New Zealand earthquakes of modern times include the 6.8 magnitude Gisborne quake of December 20, 2007, which was offshore but caused buildings to collapse in the Gisborne CBD, and 20 years before, Edgecumbe's 6.5 quake on March 2, 1987, which was very destructive because of its shallowness.
The top 10 quakes recorded in this country are:
* 8.2, Wairarapa, January 23, 1855 – The most severe earthquake to have happened in New Zealand since systematic European colonisation began in 1840.
* 7.8, Fiordland, July 15, 2009 – only 12km deep and on the coastline near Milford.
* 7.8, Napier, February 3, 1931 – The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake caused the largest loss of life and most extensive damage of any recorded NZ quake.
* 7.8, Murchison, June 17, 1929 – The massive rumbling of the 1929 Buller earthquake was heard as far away as New Plymouth.
* 7.8, Marlborough, October 16, 1848 – This was the largest in a cluster of earthquakes that hit central NZ that year.
* 7.6, Pahiatua, March 5 1934 – Also known as the Horoeka earthquake, it shook the lower North Island and was felt as far away as Auckland and Dunedin.
* 7.2, Wairarapa I, June 24, 1942 – This earthquake severely rocked the lower North Island during World War 2, causing extensive damage to local buildings.
* 7.1, Inangahua, May 24, 1968 – The Inangahua earthquake killed three people and was felt over much of the country.
* 7.1, North Canterbury, September 1, 1888 – the Amuri District was shaken by a large earthquake with severe intensities of ground-shaking
* 7.0, Wairarapa II, August 2, 1942 – The shock that struck on August 2 was nearly as severe as the disastrous June 24 earthquake five weeks earlier.
