Gisborne Rocked By Severe Earthquake

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Gisborne Transport's premises in Customhouse Street lost a large brick parapet. The office area of the building was later evacuated.
Unlike many chimneys, this one in Cobden Street, complete with T.V. aerial, did not disintegrate as it toppled neatly on to the roof.
The abandoned Post Office, roped off and covered with ominous "danger" signs
O'Meara's building in Pitt Street was severely cracked

The biggest earthquake to hit Gisborne since 1931 rocked the district at midday on Saturday, March 5th, causing widespread damage to commercial and private buildings within the city and environs.

Rated at force 6.2 on the Richter Scale (recorded at Wellington), the peak of the quake lasted 45sec, with tapering-off tremors, many of which would not have been felt, occurring every two or three minutes for the next 36 hours.

Several pre-1931 brick buildings in the commercial area received varying degrees of structural damage. Most notable case was the Post Office, which was immediately evacuated and will probably be demolished. The Harbour Board's premises in Reads Quay were also abandoned.

The majority of the damage was in the business area and the suburb of Whataupoko, where many fallen parapets, broken chimneys (about 500 of them), shattered plate-glass windows, and collapsed water tanks, were evident. Many shops suffered considerable loss of stock.

Although no injuries were reported, some citizens had narrow escapes as falling chimneys, parapets, and masonry crashed to the ground.

Gisborne's newly-formed Civil Police unit was mobilised in a crowd control and property protection role.

Following the quake a Government claims commission centre was established in the city to deal with the estimated 1500 claims, expected to exceed £50,000 in value.

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Many watertank stands collapsed during the quake