Drop, cover, hold - Rotorua students take part in the ShakeOut

Pupils at Rotorua's Glenholme Primary School learnt how to keep safe in an earthquake as part of a national safety drill.

Other students and adults around Rotorua and an expected 1 million people across New Zealand took part in today's national ShakeOut earthquake drill.

At the sound of the bell, students were told to drop, cover and hold - the best advice to protect yourself in an earthquake, save lives and reduce the risk of injury.

Room A5 teacher Kylie Laxton-Blinkhorn said the school had wanted to take part because the more opportunity the students were given to practise the easier it would be in a real earthquake.

Dhruv Sharma, 10, left, Mackenzie Holland, 9, and Jiah Shine, 10 drop, cover and hold for the ShakeOut. Photo / Stephen Parker

"It should become second nature.

"Luckily for most of the class they've never actually been in an earthquake but if they ever are I want the first thing that comes to mind to be find somewhere safe and drop, cover, hold."

As well as learning how to stay safe in the classroom, the students were given advice on how to stay safe if they were just out and about.

"They may not be at home or at school when an earthquake does happen, so we've talked about finding a pocket of safety and what to do if they were say playing outside, at the shops or crossing the road," Laxton-Blinkhorn said.

Across New Zealand about 1 million people took part in the ShakeOut and Dhruv Sharma, 10, left, Mackenzie Holland, 9, and Jiah Shine, 10 show how it's done. Photo / Stephen Parker