Tsunami warning sirens have been tested in Hawke's Bay on Friday, sparking bewilderment from some people who were not sure what was going on.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence is testing the public alert systems to give businesses and schools the opportunity to test their own emergency systems.
In Napier, the sirens echoed loudly across the city at 11am for approximately five minutes.
In the Hastings district, the mobile sirens are being tested until 1pm in Flaxmere.
Coastal residents have been reminded that if there is a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand up or lasts longer than a minute they should evacuate immediately and not wait for an official warning.
