July 18, 2004 Earthquake: Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand on July 18, 2004 at 04:22:22 UTC, 5 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 18, 2004
- Time
- 04:22:22 UTC
- Place
- Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 38.000° S, 176.510° E
- Country
- New Zealand
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- 5
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
One person killed and two injured in the Rotorua-Tauranga area. Five houses heavily damaged at Lake Roto Ma. Landslides occurred on the highway between Lake Rotoiti and Lake Roto Ma. Felt from Tauranga to Whakatane. This is the largest of a series of earthquakes in the Lake Rotoiti area. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 2, 1987, North Island, Whakatani, Edgecumbe, New Zealand
- October 6, 1914, North Island, New Zealand
- December 20, 2007, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 14, 1950, N. New Zealand
- August 18, 1895, Taupo, New Zealand
- November 30, 2022, Taupo, New Zealand
- March 2, 1956, North Island, New Zealand
- September 15, 1932, Gisborne, Wairoa, New Zealand
- 1831, Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand
- February 11, 1855, New Zealand
- October 5, 1980, Gisborne, Hawera, Eastbourne, Napier, New Zealand
- February 13, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- February 19, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- February 21, 1973, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
- August 25, 2008, North Island, New Zealand
More
Significant earthquakes of 2004The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2004Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5791.