logo
Live: Tsunami wave surge warnings remain in place, likely to stay in place overnight

Live: Tsunami wave surge warnings remain in place, likely to stay in place overnight

RNZ Newsa day ago
Emergency authorities say a tsunami threat to New Zealand from the giant quake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula is likely to remain in force overnight for the east coast of both the North and South Islands and the Chatham Islands.
NEMA in its latest update says tsunami activity has already reached parts of New Zealand.
It said this was due to rebounding tsunami activity from South America.
It says the threat must be regarded as real until the tsunami alert is cancelled.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Queenstown Shotover Jet turns 60: From river ferry to iwi-led tourism icon
Queenstown Shotover Jet turns 60: From river ferry to iwi-led tourism icon

RNZ News

time31 minutes ago

  • RNZ News

Queenstown Shotover Jet turns 60: From river ferry to iwi-led tourism icon

A Shotover Jet glides through the Arthurs Point Gorge Photo: Supplied / Shotover Jet One of New Zealand's best-known adventure rides is celebrating 60 years in business after evolving from a simple five-person riverboat into an iconic thrill-seekers' attraction. Ngāi Tahu Tourism said the milestone was about much more than commercial success; it was a moment of pride for mana whenua who have taken the wheel. Shotover Jet business manager Donald Boyer said Shotover Jet rose from humble origins. Herm Palmer (right), who was an early owner and operator of Shotover Jet, 1966. Photo: Supplied / Shotover Jet "It pretty much did start with a couple of blokes and a really small wooden boat that seated about four to five passengers. "It was a transport service that came from Queenstown across the lake and up the Shotover to Arthurs Point purely for transport. The boat did about 30 km per hour, so quite sedate. "Through the 70s and 80s, it morphed into the thrill-based experience that it is." More than 4.6 million people have since taken a ride on the Shotover Jet, which has garnered national attention, won tourism awards and hosted prime ministers and royals. Ngāi Tahu Tourism general manager Jolanda Cave said a handshake deal with Ngāi Tahu in 1999 laid the foundations for the iwi's entire tourism arm, which now includes eight other ventures around Te Waipounamu. Ngāi Tahu Tourism General Manager Jolanda Cave, Shotover Jet Business Manager Donald Boyer and Kāi Tahu ki Tuawhenua Kāhui representative Paulette Tamati-Elliffe. Photo: Katie Todd / RNZ "The Shotover Jet is ultimately the jewel in the crown for Ngāi Tahu Tourism. It was the first tourism venture that we purchased, and it is ultimately what started the growth of what Ngāi Tahu Tourism is today," she said. Cave was among those who gathered on the riverbank on Friday morning to mark six decades of the Shotover Jet. The company planned to give free rides on Saturday and was releasing a documentary about its history. The money iwi used to buy into Shotover Jet came from a Treaty settlement involving $170m in Crown redress in the 1990s. Cave said Ngāi Tahu Tourism secured full ownership by 2004 and became one of the country's biggest tourism operators. Ross Melhop, one of the two brothers who founded Shotover Jet Services in 1965. Photo: Supplied / Shotover Jet "It's really enabled us to use the international manuhiri, the domestic manuhiri and use our voice so we're able to tell our stories. We're able to look after the whenua that we operate in and we're able to lead how we feel tourism should be in the future," she said. The Shotover River or Kimiākau Awa has been part of Ngāi Tahu's whakapapa for generations. Paulette Tamati-Elliffe, a member of Kāi Tahu ki Tuawhenua Kāhui, which represented the seven Papatipu Rūnanga of the area, said the waters were used to transport supplies and gather food, plants and pounamu. "This place was very important to us. It was a huge part of our tribal, our traditional tribal economy," she said. To maintain that connection and to be able to provide those benefits, tangible and intangible, for not only this generation but future generations to come, is just so important." Shotover Jet plans to give away free rides on Saturday, and it will be releasing a documentary about its story. Photo: Katie Todd / RNZ Kimiākau meant to search for the shoreline or sea, Tamati-Elliffe said. "The sandy, golden beaches that we enjoy on the coast of Dunedin come from these rocks and from this river, so that connection that our people have maintained for generations, from the mountains to the sea. "It just makes sense, that name, Kimiakau." Tamati-Elliffe said iwi hoped to see more whanau engaged in the business in future. "We want to strengthen and enhance what's already a great experience for manuhiri, and we believe we're on that trajectory." Boyer said sustainability was a big focus for the Shotover Jet as the company embarked on the next decade. "Over the last few years, we've started transitioning to engines that burn about 30 percent less fuel than the previous ones," he said. That's all part of our journey towards being at a point where we burn no fossil fuels, whether that's electric or hydrogen. "It's just an incredible achievement for a business in New Zealand to get to 60 years, and I'm just super proud to be leading the business and into this next decade." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Tsunami warnings lifted for New Zealand
Tsunami warnings lifted for New Zealand

RNZ News

time4 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Tsunami warnings lifted for New Zealand

People on the beach at Lyall Bay, Wellington, 31 July 2025. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii The national tsunami advisory issued after the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia has been cancelled. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said tsunami activity around New Zealand's coast has significantly decreased in the past two days. However, it is warning that there still could be strong and unusual currents until Monday. It said people should be cautious in and around the ocean and estuaries over the weekend. Authorities have been reviewing the tsunami threat created by the huge earthquake off Russia two days ago. Beach and marine tsunami conditions were observed across the east coast of New Zealand last night, but they have subsided to strong and unusual currents. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store