A very bright fireball was seen over Otago and Canterbury, New Zealand at 08:04 UTC (21:04 LT) on March 13, 2024. Analysis shows that some 0.5 km (1.1 pounds) of the object survived the entry and ended up scattered on the ground in MacKenzie Country. A public search for meteorites is scheduled for March 21.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported a large vegetation fire covering about 650 ha (1 606 acres) in the Port Hills near Christchurch on February 15, 2024. A state of emergency was declared the previous day, with 130 firefighters, 11 helicopters, and heavy machinery deployed. Evacuations affected 80 properties, though no homes were lost. The blaze remains uncontained, and a public health warning was issued due to smoke.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 10:57 UTC on February 9, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 10:10 UTC on October 23, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 23.1 km (14.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
A freight train operated by KiwiRail found itself engulfed by a landslide on the South Island’s West Coast near Hawks Crag in the early hours of Monday, October 16, 2023. The incident, which led to a minor derailment, saw the lone engineer on board escaping without any injury.
Over the weekend of September 16 – 17, 2023, New Zealand’s MetService forecasts an intense westerly wind event across the South Island and the southern half of the North Island. This anticipated event could be more disruptive than yesterday’s strong winds, which resulted in power outages in Wairarapa.
A bright fireball exploded over the Manawatū region in New Zealand’s North Island around 18:50 UTC on June 27, 2023 (06:50 NZST, June 28), producing a massive sonic boom.
New Zealand’s MetService upgraded its Heavy Rain Warning to the highest level – Red – for Gisborne area. This is the highest severe weather warning and indicates that people must take immediate action to protect people, animals and property from the impact of the weather. The warning is in effect through Sunday morning, June 25.
A bright fireball followed by a sonic boom was seen over North Island, New Zealand at 10:42 UTC (22:42 LT) on June 3, 2023.
A shallow earthquake registered by GeoNet as M5.9 hit the Auckland Islands, New Zealand region at 02:21 UTC on May 31, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 12 km (7.4 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting M6.2 at a depth of 0 km.
