The Wakatipu region escaped major damage from the magnitude
7.1 earthquake, which hit Canterbury on Saturday.
The quake, whose epicentre was about 40km west of
Christchurch, was felt in Queenstown about a minute later.
Of the people questioned in Queenstown on Saturday, about
half had felt the tremors and half had slept through them.
Neither Queenstown police nor local fire brigades received
reports of any damage as a result.
Gordon Bailey, parks manager for the Queenstown Lakes
District Council and also principal rural fire officer, told
the Queenstown Times on Saturday he had not heard of
anyone reporting damage to buildings or infrastructure in the
Wakatipu area.
"Once people have a good check through their properties
today, there could still be damage discovered. But I would
think it is bound to have been minor around here," Mr Bailey
said.
A Queenstown Airport spokesman said no damage had been
detected at the airport, and it was "business as usual" there
on Saturday, except that flights to Christchurch were
cancelled or delayed until the afternoon as Christchurch
International Airport was closed until 1.30pm.
• See the extensive coverage of the earthquake and its
effects in today's Otago Daily Times.
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