Survivors remember Hawke's Bay earthquake at Hastings District Council commemoration

The memories of those who survived the Hawke's Bay earthquake as children 87 years ago may be fading but their emotions are still raw.

More than 100 people, including several survivors, attended the Hastings District Council earthquake commemoration this morning marking the 87th anniversary of the 7.8M earthquake which killed 256 people.

On February 3, 1931, four-year-old Alaister Whyte had gone with his mother to Roach's department store so he could get a hat for a wedding that day when the building started to collapse.

"I can remember my mother putting me under one of those big counters they had, big thick wood," Mr Whyte said.

"The biggest thing was the noise, Roach's was a two-storey building and all the brick was coming down.

"The other thing was that it went on for so long."

Roach's mezzanine floor collapsed, the outer walls disintegrated and the roof fell on those inside the building killing 17 which was the most deaths in any single building in Hawke's Bay during the earthquake.

His sister, who was about nine, and one of his cousins were across the road at a hairdressers at the time and both died. The memory still brings a tear to his eye.

"It was very sad.

"We went home to our house on Market Street...my mother was crying, I didn't understand why."

Mr Whyte comes to the commemoration each year to mark the anniversary and also to catch up with others who went through the tragedy, he said.

Nola (Betty) Manley, 96, was a nine-year-old at Havelock North Primary School when the building shook and all the students rushed outside.

"One of the boys got a cut on his head because of the chimney coming down," she said.

"I think we were very frightened."

The principal told the students to go home and let their parents know they were safe and they would reconvene at school the next morning, however, this didn't happen due to the extent of the devastation.

"We lived in a tent for I don't know how long, the army provided them."

Noleen Wise, who was at Parkvale School during the earthquake, said she can't remember much but the students were all told to sit by the swimming pool and the water was splashing over the sides and soaking them.

Four-year-old Velma Brannigan was holidaying in Te Awanga and was scared by the waves.

Her family were unable to get back to their Havelock North home due to the damage.

"It is still sad," she said.

Rex Ingram, who was one at the time, said he could not remember the shake but had been in his high chair during the ordeal.

His uncle owned a grocers shop in the centre of Hastings, Ingram's grocery store, which collapsed and the only thing left standing was the sign propped up by a pile of bricks.

This morning's ceremony, held at the Hastings City Central Mall, included speeches from Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and readings from leaders of several Hastings high schools as well as the ringing of the clock tower bells at 10.47am (the time the earthquake struck) and a laying of wreaths.