1901: The Great Cheviot Earthquake
December 11, 2023
By AHNZ
The settlers of Cheviot were dealt a vicious blow on 16 November, 1901, with The Great Cheviot Earthquake.
Commercial and residential buildings were bowled over that day. The small town was ‘in a state of collapse and business suspended.’ Refugees either took to tents or left the district to seek intact housing. Only one person died, a baby. It could have been much worse if at night when more people would have been indoors and burning lamps for light.
Cheviot was the legacy of Extensive Farming during our great pastoral era before the Intensive Farming economy took over. Named and created by ex-Australian William Robinson in a huge land purchase, Cheviot was “busted up” by a triumphant Liberal Government from 1892. The move was branded a signature showpiece by the Lefty propaganda machine over Robinson’s dead body. However, Robinson’s daughters really did very well out of the deal and must have been even more relieved to have sold up when Cheviot became the epicenter of oblivion in 1901.
The Liberals attempted to plant their flag and re-name the place McKenzie after one of their famous Ministers, Jock McKenzie. That would have made a nice set to go with the other Liberal Minister-named towns of Seddon and Ward to the north. However, even when populated by the Liberal Government with farming settlers the old name of Cheviot stuck fast.
“Several ladies and a number of young children came down last night from Cheviot by the north train. Being, however, “‘hostages to fortune,” otherwise wives and’ mothers, they will ultimately return to the district as soon as their damaged dwellings have, been again rendered habitable. They express themselves as devoutly thankful to have escaped with their lives and those of their children, but have evidently suffered severely from fright. With them, as with everyone else resident at Cheviot, it seems absolutely miraculous that go little injury to life and limb has been sustained by the settlers. Had the earthquake occurred at night the fatalities from falling debris or burning buildings, occasioned by overturned lamps, must have been great.” – Star (1901,) Papers Past
“Whether the former owners of the Cheviot estate are not almighty glad at the present moment they sold to the Government ? With their money safe, earthquake risks need not trouble them.” – Observer (1901,) Papers Past
The quake was so powerful that the spire of Christchurch Cathedral, 100km away, fell down. It was felt in Westport and Wellington. The Star speculated that the cause may have been connected to recent disturbances at Whakatane, and volcanic activity at White Island. Ref. Timespanner (2011)
William Waite’s garden in Kaiapoi cracked open and shot up geysers of mud into the air. Ref. p78 Old Kaiapoi, Charles Brockelbank (1941)
According to the Irish Catholic weekly paper, The New Zealand Tablet, the Cheviot earthquake cured an a case of rheumatism that a resident had been suffering from for a long time. It says something about that denomination that they also thought music, acupuncture, and lightning strikes medicinal. Ref. The Music Cure, New Zealand Tablet (1908,) Papers PastÂ
Despite the Liberal’s socialist experiments with New Zealand it was largely left to free and private people to recover from the Great Cheviot Earthquake. The Government refused to do anything to help until the Minister of Public Works, William Hall-Jones, visited to inspect Cheviot. It’s for the best if they never lifted a finger even then to help as Governments tend only to see a crisis like this as a Machiavellian opportunity to exploit. New Zealanders raised their own relief funds, dusted themselves off, and put Cheviot back to rights.
—
Image ref. Auckland Weekly News (1901,) Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. AHNZ colour (2023)
Ref. Waipawa Mail (1901,) Papers Past
Like Comment Share
