you are here:
Hawke's Bay Earthquake, 3 February 1931
- Time: 46 minutes and 46.3 seconds after 10:00am on Tuesday February 3, 1931
- Magnitude: 7.8 on the Richter Scale in the Napier/Hastings area
- Epicentre: 15.2 km north of Napier
- Focus: Shallow, at approximately 16km
- Duration: 2.5 minutes
- Deaths: 258
"Thank God for the Navy, fires were still burning in the shattered town, the usual bright February sunshine was filtered by smoke, the aftershocks were continuing and people were tired from a sleepless night, apprehensive, nervous. But they had not been forgotten, they were not alone. The Navy was here".
Earthquake 75th Anniversary
On Friday 3 February Hawke's Bay will host the first-ever official commemoration of the 1931 Earthquake. www.napier.govt.nz The commemorations will continue throughout the region from February 9-19, culminating in the world-renown Brebner Print Art Deco Weekend running in Napier over the weekend of February 19-19.
The Treaty of Waitangi, 6 February 1840
Waitangi Day commemorates the signing of a treaty at Waitangi (Bay of Islands) on 6 February 1840 by a group of Maori chiefs and the British Government.
Cassino, February 1944
From February 1944 when the 28 (Maori) Battalion initiated an attack at Cassino railway station until April when the Division finally withdrew, almost 350 NZ troops were killed in the battle for Cassino.
Resources and more information:
This page was last reviewed on 29 May 2008 and is current.
