October 18, 1868 Tsunami: New Zealand
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at New Zealand on October 18, 1868 at 12:35 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- October 18, 1868, 12:35 UTC
- Source
- New Zealand
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 12 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 40.200° S, 173.000° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #5324:
1868, October 18, 12:35. Sea sounded disturbed at the same time and after the earthquake was felt; tide flowed several feet beyond high water mark prior to expected high tide. Timber and merchandise placed beyond at high tide level were washed away. Several places near the beach were flooded and one or two boats washed from their moorings.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farewell Spit (Near Pakawau) | New Zealand | 52 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Port Nelson | New Zealand | 120 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Waitara | New Zealand | 169 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Westport | New Zealand | 210 | 0.3 | Other | |||
| Thames | New Zealand | 405 | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 1868The 1800sTsunamis of New ZealandThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. NCEI tsunami event 5508.