Darkest day marked on anniversary

Heretaunga St East after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. PHOTO / FILE

BELLS will ring out and heads will be bowed at 10.46am today as the region commemorates the event that changed Hawke's Bay and its people forever.

The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster, killing 256 people and injuring thousands more when it struck just before 11am on February 3, 84 years ago.

In Hastings, the bell in the clock tower will ring out at 10.46am to mark the exact time the quake struck.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said: "It is vitally important that the city continues to remember those who died in the earthquake and the people who helped rebuild the city over the following years.

"Our citizens united at that time with a determination to rebuild and that determination to succeed lives on today."

Councillor Kevin Watkins, who will lead the Hastings service, said: "From the devastation of 1931 came a determination to succeed. Much of the CBD that we see today is testament to the tenacity of the survivors and the vision of the city's fathers.

"It is fitting that we will again gather to remember those who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed forever as a result of the Hawke's Bay earthquake."

Pipers from the Hastings City Pipe Band will walk from each end of the CBD to arrive at the centre at 10.30am, marking the beginning of the service.

The dignitaries will be welcomed to the stage by performers from the Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre, while the service will include an address by Hawke's Bay historian Michael Fowler and the laying of a wreath by Mr Yule.

Seating will be available for survivors and their families.

On Sunday, survivors of the great quake met during an afternoon tea in Napier.

This event is an established part of the 1931 earthquake commemoration calendar after being initiated by volunteers about 15 years ago. A total of 114 survivors and some of their carers attended the event, at Napier Boys' High School.