Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Episode Information and Audio

When the Siren Goes Episode 4 – Tsunamis

A scientist analyses the long history of tsunamis in this country, and what people near the shore should do in the event of a tsunami like the one which struck Whitianga in 1960. The work of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre works is explained, along with the warning it issued in 2006 that a tsunami might hit the East Coast of the North Island, and the lessons to be taken from the way in which Gisborne locals behaved. The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami is discussed through an interview about a scientific survey undertaken by a Kiwi scientist in Sri Lanka after the event. (duration: 23′34″)

2004 Boxing Day news bulletin about the Indian Ocean Tsunami

On 26 December 2004, a devastating tsunami was generated by a big earthquake off the Indonesian coast in the Indian Ocean. Eight hours after the event, the full extent of the disaster was not known. The earthquake struck at 2pm New Zealand time, and the tsunami affected eleven countries around the Indian Ocean rim. Listen to the opening of the day’s 10pm news bulletin on Radio New Zealand National.
sa-04219-01-o (Sound Archives reference) (duration: 2′56″)

A tsunami in Whitianga in 1960

Ron Ross had over 50 years experience of working in the waters off the Coromandel Peninsula. In this extract from a Spectrum programme, he tells Jack Perkins of his adventures watching the effects of a giant tidal wave which hit the coastal settlement of Whitianga in May 1960. Broadcast April 1993.
CDR 104 Spectrum 787 Coastal boats and Tidal Waves (Sound Archives reference) (duration: 11′19″)