"Earthquake sirens sound in Napier again". - New Zealand.
S 39° 29.400 E 176° 55.170
60H E 493077 N 5628842
A news article covering the 75th anniversary service at the Soundshell on Marine Parade commemorating the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake, with Prime Minister Helen Clark speaking at the Napier event.
Waymark Code: WM74J2
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 08/31/2009
Views: 6
A special service and concert attended by hundreds of people, many dressed in 1930 costumes, was held at the Marine Parade Soundshell to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Napier Earthquake which totally devastated the city of Napier. The Soundshell was built on extensions to the ocean waterfront parade created from the rubble of the ruined city.
On the morning of the 3rd February 1931 the weather was oppressive, typical "earthquake weather" as the residents would later remember. At approximately 10.46am the first quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit the town lasting two and a half minutes. In that short amount of time 256 people throughout Hawkes Bay would lose their lives, huge tracts of land would rise out of the sea and the charming little resort would be nearly completely destroyed.
Read more about the Napier Earthquake.
The commemerative service was held at the Soundshell which stands beside the Veronica Sunbay. This curved arcade structure of columns was built in 1934 and in 1937 was named the "Veronica Sunbay" when the bell from HMS Veronica was presented to the city as a memento of the assistance rendered by the crew of HMS Veronica in rescue work in the aftermath of the 1931 earthquake.