Fault Lines
The cause of the Napier Earthquake in 1931 was the collision of the Indo-Australian plate and the Pacific plate. When the fault broke, the two sides slid past each other which caused two big jolts on the surface. The main fault that broke was buried but it set off two smaller fault that caused the jolts that were felt on the surface.
Napier pre-earthquake
Napier (formerly known as Ahuriri) was founded in 1855 by the government and is Hawke’s Bay’s oldest town. Although Napier was in a bad spot and was prone to flooding it was the perfect place for a port which led it to becoming the leading town of the Hastings region and the centre of government, business, social and leisure activities.
Napier is the largest city in the Hawke's Bay region and before the earthquake the estimated population of people living there was 16,200.
Napier is the largest city in the Hawke's Bay region and before the earthquake the estimated population of people living there was 16,200.