Tsunami surge warning for entire NZ coast

Photo: USGS / Screenshot

All New Zealand coastal areas are now covered by a warning of tsunami activity following a magnitude 8.8 earthquake near Russia earlier today.

The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) made the announcement about 2pm, saying that strong currents and unpredictable surges were expected to reach the country about midnight.

Powerful Russia quake triggers alerts in Pacific

In an update this afternoon, Otago Civil Defence said the earliest expected surge arrival time for the region's coast was between 2.30am and 3am tomorrow.

Nema said the first tsunami activity could reach New Zealand in the areas around Lottin Point, on the North Island's east coast, about 11.59pm today.

"Strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges will continue for several hours and the threat must be regarded as real until this advisory is cancelled."

Nema said the surges could "injure and drown people, and there is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore".

The agency is warning people in or near the sea to move out of the water, off beaches and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries

The threat of a tsunami was reassessed after the earthquake was upgraded from magnitude 8 to 8.7. It has since been upgraded again, to 8.8. The quake struck off the eastern coast of Russia before noon on Wednesday (NZ time).

Nema earlier said there was no threat to New Zealand, but after the upgrade to 8.7, the threat had to be checked again.

Image: Nema

A Cook Strait ferry company says its evening sailings will take a wider route through the Marlborough Sounds into Picton tonight.

KiwiRail, which owns Interislander, says it's monitoring the situation closely, and it's likely the two evening sailings tonight will take the wider Northern Entrance in and out of the Queen Charlotte Sound as a precaution, following the surge warning.

Nema has advised anyone on board boats in marinas to move onto land.

Areas under threat in NZ:

All coastal areas of the North Island, Great Barrier Island, the South Island, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.

A television screen in Tokyo shows a news report on Japan Weather Agency's tsunami warning. Photo: Reuters

'Hazardous tsunami waves' warning

Warnings of "hazardous tsunami waves" and evacuations stretching across the Pacific Ocean have been issued.

Waves reaching more than 3 metres high were possible along some coasts of Russia and Ecuador, while waves of 1-3m were possible in Japan, Hawaii, Chile and the Solomon Islands, the US Tsunami Warning System advised.

Smaller waves were possible along coastlines across much of the Pacific, including the US West Coast. The Philippines and Indonesia have also issued alerts.

Meanwhile, there were no injuries reported after what is being called the strongest quake "in decades" off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, but evacuation was ordered for a small town in the Sakhalin region after a tsunami warning, regional governors said.

"Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors," Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. He said that according to preliminary information there were no injuries, but a kindergarten was damaged

additional reporting Reuters