Figure A2.6: Return-period distributions for major ports around New Zealand, based on the data in Table A2.1
Clearly Lyttelton and Gisborne areas have the highest likelihood.
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[ Source: de Lange & Fraser (1999)].
Text description of figure
Return periods are shown for tsunamis, ranging in height to nearly 8 metres, at nine coastal locations around New Zealand. These sites are arranged in order from those where there is a low likelihood to those with the highest likelihood of a tsunami occurring:
Whangarei Dunedin Auckland Tauranga Timaru Wellington Napier Gisborne Lyttelton
At Whangarei a tsunami of up to one metre high is expected to have a return period of 200 years.
At Timaru (an intermediate risk site) a one metre high tsunami has an expected return period of less than 70 years and a three metre high event might occur with a return period of 200 years.
Whereas, at Lyttelton a one metre high tsunami might occur with a return period of 30 years and a 7.5 metre event every 200 years.
The values are based on work by de Lange and Fraser in 1999.
