NEWS ALERT| Tsunami to strike New Zealand - Live Updates
Two tsunamis around 1.5 metres high have hit the Solomon Islands after a magnitude 8 earthquake this afternoon and a warning still remains in place in New Zealand.
The quake struck about 2:12pm today (New Zealand time) near the Santa Cruz Islands at a depth of 33 km.
Wave surges have hit the small island chain and around 50 homes and properties have been damaged, according to George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued warnings after sea level devices indicated a change but those have since been cancelled.
However, they still remain in place for New Zealand where a surge of around 1 metre is expected around most of the coast.
Civil Defence national coordinator John Hamilton says the small tsunami is expected to hit the North Cape between 6pm and 7pm today.
He says people should stay out of the water, away from beaches and estuaries
Estimated tsunami surge arrival times:
East Cape: 7:15pm
Gisborne: 7:39pm
Auckland East: 7:47pm
New Plymouth: 7:51pm
Wellington/Kapiti: 8:03pm
Milford Sound: 8:20pm
Napier: 8:27pm
Westport: 8:30pm
Dunedin: 8:39pm
LIVE UPDATES: Follow live updates with infonews.co.nz following the quake and tsunami
6:15pm - The Northland Civil Defence Group Controller says there is no land-based risk of tsunami for Northland although there may be surges and currents at sea.
Because there is no land-based threat, the tsunami sirens have not been sounded.
Even so, people in coastal areas should still be sensible and:
1. Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities)
2. Stay off beaches and shore areas
3. Do not go sightseeing
4. Share this information with family, neighbours and friends
5. Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates
6. Follow instructions of local civil defence authorities
6:15pm - Officials in the Solomon Islands have told ONE News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver there have been reports of missing people, however they say its too early to speculate on numbers.
Medical staff are now at the scene trying o see who needs help, she says.
Dreaver says officials have told her it has been a very panic stricken day for people in the Pacific.
5:50pm -Japan's Meteorological Agency says it expects a 20cm tsunami to reach the country within the next few hours.
The small size of the tsunami meant it did not merit a tsunami warning and people were not being asked to leave costal areas, a JMA spokesman said.
5:50pm - Luke Taula, a fisheries officer in Lata on Santa Cruz Island, which took the brunt of the tsunami, told Reuters it arrived in small tidal surges rather than as one large wave.
"We have small waves come in, then go out again, then come back in. The waves have reached the airport terminal," he told Reuters by telephone.
The worst damage would be to villages on the western side of a point that protects the main township, he said.
"There are no casualties reported so far. But there are reports that some communities have been badly hit, their houses have been damaged by the waves."
5:45pm - Civil Defence is still warning New Zealanders to avoid low lying coastal areas and say the tsunami watch is still in place.
ONE News reporter Matt McLean who is currently at the National Civil Defence Emergency base in Wellington says scientists are looking at the direction and movement of water.
Until they have determined exactly what is going to happen at around six or seven this evening, that watch will remain in place.
He says Civil Defence is expecting that a wave no greater than 1m will hit the North Cape between 6pm and 7pm. Anyone around a coastal area is reminded to stay off beaches.
5:30pm - ABC News quotes emergency services on the Santa Cruz Islands, in the Solomons, as confirming the tsunami has destroyed three villages.
5:00pm - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has cancelled its tsunami watch and warning for all Pacific Islands and New Zealand.
However the Civil Defence in New Zealand is still waiting for confirmation on the change of status.
4:35pm - ONE News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver says people she has spoken to on Kiribati are very worried about the tsunami threat.
Currently people on the low lying island nation are evacuating to the main stadium, which is located on the highest point.
4:30pm- The Director of Nursing at Lata Hospital has told ONE News there are no casualties arriving yet, but they are expecting many. He says three villages have been destroyed and that the airport is completely swamped with water and debris.
4:15pm - A local journalist in Fiji has told ONE News that all coastal schools have been closed.
There are traffic jams in the Suva CBD as people try to flee. Civil servants on the island have been told to move to higher ground.
4:05pm - Reuters reports a 90cm tsunami hit the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation cited a witness who said water was covering an airstrip in Lata, in Temotu province, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
4:00pm - The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management says the first wave may arrive in New Zealand in the areas around North Cape approximately between 6pm and 7pm.
They advise that people in coastal areas should:
1. Stay off beaches
2. Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities)
3. Do not go sightseeing
4. Share this information with family, neighbours and friends
5. Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates
6. Follow instructions of your local Civil Defence authorities.
3:50pm - ONE News has spoken to the Director of Nursing at Lata Hospital, Augustine Bilve who says some villages have been destroyed by the tsunami.
"According to the information I have there are three villages close to Lata, but it's more likely that other villages along the coast of Santa Cruz would also be affected."
He says hundreds of people live in the villages. "So far we don't have any casualty yet but it might be too early due to transport difficulties."
3:45pm - Keep up to date with Civil Defence information here.
3:35pm - ONE News has spoken to Charles Ngali who is in Lata Hospital in the Solomon Islands.
He says he felt a series of strong earthquakes. The hospital is on high ground but he has heard that a wave passed through the airport, which is on lower ground.
Most of the patients at Lata Hospital have been taken to higher ground.
3:30pm - AFP reports villages in Solomon Islands have been destroyed after a tsunami hits the island nation.
3:25pm - The South Pacific French territory of New Caledonia has warned that a tsunami could hit its eastern coastline.
Residents near the coast were being advised to evacuate immediately with the tsunami forecast to reach shores around 0300 GMT.
3:15pm - A tsunami measuring 0.9 metres (3ft) has hit the Solomon Islands following an 8.0 quake.
3:10pm - Civil Defence has issued a tsunami watch for New Zealand . The New Zealand High Commission in Honiara says it "is in the process of relocating its consular staff".
A 8.0 quake struck at a very shallow depth of 5km, 340km east of Kira Kira in the Solomons at 2:12pm. .
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and Futuna islands.
The tsunami has the potential to be destructive near the epicentre and could pose a threat to more distant coastlines, says the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.