NZ quake 8.55pm today

A strong earthquake hit New Zealand's main island today, ripping up roads and cutting off power on the east coast. The quake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, was centred in the sea 30 miles off the North Island city of Gisborne. Emergency plans have been put into action but there have been no immediate reports of casualties. No tsunami warnings have been issued.The force of the quake was felt across most of the country but Gisborne appears to be worst hit. "There were holes opening up in some streets, partial building collapses in some areas," a police spokesman said. "We have got a lot of damage and are still assessing the situation," another spokesman added.Power cuts have hampered attempts to assess the extent of the damage.Callers to radio phone-ins described how the earthquake sent household appliances flying and knocked objects off shelves.There are around 14,000 earthquakes in New Zealand, of which around 20 are higher than 5.0 on the Richter scale.The quake, described as a series of sharp shocks with a roaring sound, was felt widely along the east coast of both the North and South Islands, including in the capital Wellington, which is around 400 km south of Gisborne. Murray McPhail, who lives about 10 km from Gisborne, said he could see waves in his swimming pool as the quake shook. "You could just about surf on it," McPhail told the NZ Press Association. "Stuff came out of cupboards, bottles fell off walls, ornaments fell."A seismologist said the depth of the quake had limited damage and minimized any chance of a tsunami. New Zealand scientists record around 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which around 20 top 5.0 on the Richter scale.The last fatal earthquake in the geologically active country, caught between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, was in 1968 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale killed three people on the South Island's west coast.
dare I say "it's started" Read prior post
Prior to this quake there was another: A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake rumbled through Alaska's Aleutian Islands early Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.Seismographs recorded the quake about 12:30 a.m., centered 35 miles beneath the sea about 124 miles from Adak, and 1,304 miles from Anchorage, the USGS said.
ADDENDUM:
last night I had a dream that I was talking with a Maori. He was sitting on a low brick wall and I was standing infront of him and listening to what he was saying, of which in this state I can't remember 1 syllable and now this quake. I have also been incessantly hearing the name Mitar Tarabich going through my head for the past week, so I looked up his prophesies and posted on the "dawningone" blog.