New Zealanders Seek Higher Ground Amid Tsunami Warning

A tsunami warning was issued for large stretches of New Zealand’s northeast coastline on March 5 after a magnitude-8.1 earthquake — the third in the country that morning — struck the Kermadec Islands, about 600 miles northeast of the North Island.

New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency warned residents in areas ranging from the Bay of Islands down to Tolaga Bay to “move immediately” to higher ground or “as far inland as possible.”

Ray Williams said this footage shows motorists seeking higher ground in Ōhope, a beach community on the North Island, as they wait out the tsunami warning.

A tsunami warning was also issued in American Samoa, while Hawaii was placed under a tsunami watch. Credit: Ray Williams via Storyful