February 22, 1913 Tsunami: Tasman Sea, New Zealand
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Tasman Sea, New Zealand on February 22, 1913 at 01:06 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 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
The tsunami
- Date
- February 22, 1913, 01:06 UTC
- Source
- Tasman Sea, New Zealand
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 41.800° S, 171.500° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
On February 22, 1913, at 12:38 [local time] a destructive earthquake occurred in Westport. The earthquake occurred two hours after an equinoctial-like flood tide hit Westport. Soon after the earthquake, the sea level rose to a high mark and all the stalls on the beach were flooded. In Ngakavau, the flood tide raised the level 1 m, or perhaps 1.5 m above the usual spring tides; and from Karamea also the highest flood tides in recent years were reported. On Cape Foulwind, the sea receded after the earthquake. (reference #415)
References #79 and #132 list the date as February 26, 1913.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Foulwind | New Zealand | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Westport | New Zealand | 8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Ngakawau | New Zealand | 38 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Karamea | New Zealand | 80 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1913The 1900sTsunamis 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 1405.