September 30, 2007 Tsunami: Auckland Islands, New Zealand
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Auckland Islands, New Zealand on September 30, 2007 at 05:23:34 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.35 meters. Its effects were recorded at 8 places in at least 2 countries.
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
- September 30, 2007, 05:23:34 UTC
- Source
- Auckland Islands, New Zealand
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.35 m (1.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 8
- Warning
- Tsunami Information or Attention Bulletin issued by any agency
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 49.418° S, 163.954° 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.
On September 30, 2007, at 05:23:34 UTC [04:23:34 pm local time in New Zealand] an earthquake occurred 205 km NW of Auckland Islands, New Zealand and 1245 km SW of Wellington, New Zealand. The earthquake generated a small tsunami that was observed on the east coast of Australia.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D 55401 Bpr, SE of Hobart, Tasmania | Australia | 375 | 0.04 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| D55015 Bpr, Tasman Sea | New Zealand | 375 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Dog Island | New Zealand | 453 | 0.25 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 30, 08:27 | ||
| Green Island | New Zealand | 617 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 30, 09:42 | ||
| Fortescue Bay, Tasmania | Australia | 1,414 | 0.35 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Spring Bay, Tasmania | Australia | 1,453 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 30, 05:57 | ||
| St. Helens, Tasmania | Australia | 1,516 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Port Kembla | Australia | 1,975 | 0.11 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2007The 2000sTsunamis 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 3248.