The Visitation by Rodney Grapes review

The earthquake swarm that pummeled Wellington in 1848 is caught in one indelible image: Mt Victoria dancing

Print Share

25th February, 2012

Review

Over nine terrible, bucking days in October as gales lashed the settlement, brick buildings disintegrated and every chimney toppled. The sky was streaked with red. Some civic leaders, convinced it was God’s judgment, urged the populace to begin communal fasting, prayer and what was termed “humiliation”. Others plumped to start rebuilding in wood, a strategy that would prove its worth when an even more savage quake struck in 1855. In The Visitation, earth sciences professor Rodney Grapes tells how one long sharp shock threw Maori chief Te Rauparaha out of bed, ...

Get full access to Listener.co.nz

Subscribers can read the full version of this story.

You can subscribe and get full online access for as little as $5 per week.

Enjoy the high-quality, in-depth journalism of the Listener magazine with convenient online access. This includes access to thousands of archived articles and up-to-date TV and entertainment listings.

Our great content is available online even before it hits the shelves, and includes more focus on breaking news. With our responsive design you get a great reader experience whether you read from your home computer, tablet, or even smartphone.

Already a subscriber? Just login to read full version of this story.

Already an existing print subscriber? As part of your magazine subscription you are entitled to receive full access to the New Zealand Listener Online content. Click here for instructions on how to redeem your digital access.

Or you can subscribe now to get unlimited access to listener.co.nz.

More by Redmer Yska