Damage to popular walking tracks Heavy rain and flooding in late March and April 2005 have caused substantial damage to access roads and walking tracks in the Catchpool and Orongorongo valleys near Wellington. Slips and fallen trees cut access to the Catchpool camping ground, and the picnic areas and car park were covered in debris. The popular Orongorongo track was blocked by many fallen trees, and a number of the track bridges were destroyed. The damage will take many months to repair. 1:25 PM
22.4.05
Frequency of earthquakes worldwide Over the last century, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or higher has occurred on average once each year. The planet averages 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 to 7.9 each year, and 120 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 to 6.9. 1:34 PM
15.4.05
Heading toward Solar Minimum Sunspot activity is now dropping, as the sun heads toward Solar Minimum, the period of lowest activity in its 11-year cycle. Monthly-averaged sunspot numbers have now reached their lowest levels since 1997. During the solar minimum, occasional big sunspots will unleash flares and spark auroras, but not as often as in recent years. After 2006, activity will pick up, and a new maximum is predicted for the year 2010. 1:45 PM
8.4.05
Another West Coast tornado A tornado hit the West Coast township of Runanga on Monday, 4 April 2005, ripping the roofs off two homes, but causing little other damage. The late-afternoon tornado was thought to have moved inland from Rapahoe beach, 5 kilometres away. This tornado came just three weeks after a destructive tornado hit Greymouth, damaging dozens of houses, businesses and vehicles. 2:16 PM
1.4.05
On Good Friday, 25 March 2005, two small tornados struck a 50-kilometre stretch of mainly rural and forested land between Te Puke and Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty region. There were no reported injuries, but numerous buildings were damaged as the storm hit Katikati, Tauranga, Te Puke, Kawerau and Whakatane. The tornados lifted the roof off a house at Pongakawa and buildings at the Tasman Paper Mill in Kawerau. They uprooted hundreds of trees and brought down main electricity power pylons and a back-up power line, cutting power to over 3,000 homes in the region. 2:50 PM
