Earthquake felt
Numerous Wairarapa people reported feeling a magnitude 3.7 earthquake centred 10km southeast of Lower Hutt at 12.11am on Monday morning. GNS Science and Earthquake Commission seismic hazard information website GeoNet said 4851 people in the lower North Island – mostly in the Wellington region – felt the shaking, which a few people described as “extreme”. The earthquake was at a depth of 23km, and GeoNet said the shaking was light.
Wind warning
Metservice is warning the Tararua District of severe winds that could hit tomorrow. The meteorological service said a strong and cold southwest flow will form over the nation tomorrow, giving a 20 per cent chance that winds will reach severe gale force tomorrow and Thursday in the Tararua District. “The southwest flow eases late Thursday and during Friday as a ridge moves onto New Zealand from the Tasman Sea. The flow should turn northwest over the South Island on Saturday,” it said.
New EV stations
New ultra-fast [180kW] charging stations for electric vehicles [EV] are expected to be ready in September at the Z on Chapel Street in Masterton. At the 180kW charging station, EV owners will receive roughly 100km of range for every eight minutes of charging – although charging speed and time will depend on EV battery size, level, and the maximum charging speed an EV can receive. All EV charging stations start at a flat rate price of $0.69 per kWh.
