Be prepared for it to happen here | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

An earthquake like the 7.1-magnitude quake in Christchurch could happen in Rotorua, and locals should be prepared in case it does.

That's the warning from Rotorua's Emergency Management co-ordinator Pauline Hitchcock.

Given that scientists weren't aware of the fault line near Christchurch from which Saturday's 7.1 earthquake stemmed, the possibility of the same thing happening here could not be ruled out, she said.

"I wouldn't rule out that we could get a fairly sizeable one here," she said.

"Fairly sizeable" is anything over 5 on the Richter scale, she added.

There have been 10 quakes in the Rotorua district between June and August, ranging from 2 to 3.3 on the Richter scale. On June 29 a quake measuring 5 on the Richter scale hit 20km northeast of Rotorua, but its impact was lessened because it was 160km deep.

Rotorua's Trevor and Lynne Ogilvie certainly weren't expecting to find themselves in the middle of the earthquake on Saturday. The couple had been visiting the city as Mr Ogilvie was due to take part in the national 10km championships that day.

The Ogilvies said they were "still a bit shaken".

They were staying on the ninth floor of a hotel near the city centre.

"I usually don't sleep very good the night before a race. I was actually lying there awake and I sort of heard this noise," Mr Ogilvie said.

"Then it hit.

"It felt like a slight tremor at first, then a bang. Then it started shaking, really rocking the building.

"It was like being on the ocean in a little boat, going up and down," he said.

Mr Ogilvie said he tried to get out of bed but he couldn't stand up.

"It was probably the most horrifying experience I've ever had.

"It was terrifying actually.

"Visions were going through my head of the building just starting to fall apart," he said.

"You could hear things breaking and crashing, people screaming."

Mrs Ogilvie said the experience was "terrifying".

"I thought it was my last night.

"I was waiting on the roof to come in," she said. "The shaking, it was just horrible."

The couple said they could hear water gushing from broken pipes. Once the shaking stopped they dressed and went downstairs where they and other guests congregated outside the hotel. Some were barefoot and in their pyjamas and the temperature was freezing, Mr Ogilvie said.

The guests were moved to the Millennium Hotel nearby, which still had power and the guests were given rooms and meals. The staff were "terrific", Mrs Ogilvie said.

Mr Ogilvie's race was cancelled and the couple flew home on Sunday.

GNS Science volcanologist Nico Fournier said he could not predict whether a major earthquake could occur in the Taupo or Rotorua regions.

"In terms of likelihood it's extremely difficult to tell," he said.

Mr Fournier said the smaller quakes experienced in the region recently were not cause for concern.

"Regarding the smaller ones we've had, I don't think they were precursors of a larger shock."

Rotorua District Council corporate services director Jean-Paul Gaston said the different regions were waiting to hear from Christchurch and Canterbury once they had identified what they needed.

In terms of financial assistance, Mr Gaston said direct funding was a question for the Government first.

"For local authorities it is a question of support rather than direct financial aid," he said.