Commemorating the 1855 Wairarapa Earthquake
Last Friday marked the 171st year since the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake — the largest Earthquake ever recorded in Aotearoa. Members of the Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke programme team alongside researchers from Earth Sciences NZ and the Joint Centre for Disaster Research came together with the community to commemorate this important, historic event.
On Thursday evening we hosted a public talk at the Bake House Collective in Featherston, with presentations from Dr Nicola Litchfield from Earth Sciences NZ, Julia Becker from the Joint Centre for Disaster Research and programme co-lead Professor Jamie Howarth from Victoria University. The discussion was broad and engaging — ranging from the geological effects of this quake, many of which can still be seen today, to the cultural context of life in 1855 and Jamie closed the talks off by demystifying how this kind of research is done and sharing some of the mahi being undertaken by the Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke Programme.
The talk was well attended by community members from around the region and they opened up the kōrero even further with some excellent questions directed at our researchers.
To finish the evening off we screened a video made by the programme’s Summer Scholar Eva Ruiz, a current Master’s of Design student at Toi Rauwhārangi, Massey University. The video was created to tell the story of the 1855 earthquake using narrative storytelling techniques and employing accessible language and engaging visuals — reminding us that there’s no ‘one way’ to engage with science and research.
The next morning — the anniversary of the quake — a smaller crew of community members and researchers convened in Featherston to head out on a field trip stopping at sites along the Wairarapa Fault and other nearby faultlines. After a quick briefing we headed off armed with a packed lunch, high vis-vests and curious minds. Along the way we found ourselves standing directly on top of the faultline and eating our lunch while looking along the fault scarp jutting out of the rolling farmland. Our final stop on the trip took us across a grassy paddock (inhabited by some very curious cows) to a very important section of the Wairarapa Fault. This area holds the world record for the largest lateral movement on land — 18m!
These two days of events were a meaningful chance to continue our connection to the community in the Wairarapa as well as a reminder of the fluid and unpredictable landscapes that we call home.
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