- Est. Median Value
- $487K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $200/wk
- Safety Score
- 85/100
- Green Space
- 2%
- Current Weather
- 3.8°C
- Median Age
- 46 yrs
~40 crimes/1k/yr
scattered clouds
Living in Earthquakes
Earthquakes is a locality in the upper Waitaki Valley, and the name is the landscape's autobiography: the series of earthslips and landscape collapses along the valley walls have been large enough and frequent enough over geological time to earn the place a name that the early settlers apparently considered adequate warning and adequate description simultaneously. The locality sits in the turbulent geology of the Mackenzie Basin's eastern edge where the ranges have been doing their dramatic work for considerably longer than the farming tenure.
The Waitaki Valley here is the deep-cut country above Waitaki Dam, where the river runs between steep limestone and greywacke walls in a gorge that the state highway navigates with some commitment. The earthslip-prone faces above the road are the feature that the name records, with the geological instability that the Canterbury and Otago earthquakes periodically remind the district still exists.
The farming in the Earthquakes locality is the high-country valley model: the terraces and flats that the instability has paradoxically produced providing the only level ground, with sheep and cattle on the accessible faces. The permanent population is the farming families who have assessed the geological risk and found it acceptable, as farming families in challenging terrain consistently do.
Oamaru and Kurow provide services on either side of the valley. Children attend district schools with the secondary run to Oamaru.
Is Earthquakes a good place to live?
Earthquakes is home to roughly 993 people across 32.0 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Earthquakes scores 48 out of 100, with a safety score of 85/100 and 2% green space.
Housing: The estimated median value is around $487K, and weekly rent typically sits around $200.
Lifestyle: The current temperature is 3.8°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.
Whether Earthquakes is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.
Livability Breakdown
- Safety85
- Amenities22
- Schools0
- Housing Affordability77
- Green space10
- Community44
- Transport19
Some dimensions are still pending data: schoolQuality.
Property & Economics
- Est. Median Value
- $487K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $200/wk
- Median HH Income
- $72K/yr
- Pop. Growth (5yr)
- +0.6%
- Data Year
- 2023
Key Financial Indicators (NZD)
† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.
Nearby Suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Earthquakes?
- Earthquakes is a locality in the upper Waitaki Valley, between Duntroon and Kurow on State Highway 83, in the steep limestone and greywacke gorge country above Waitaki Dam.
- Why is it called Earthquakes?
- The locality takes its name from the earthslips and landscape collapses that have occurred on the steep valley walls, a geological instability that the early settlers named directly.
- What is the landscape like at Earthquakes?
- The Waitaki Valley at Earthquakes is steep gorge country with limestone and greywacke bluffs above the river, with the earthslip-prone faces that give the locality its name visible on the valley walls.
- What is near Earthquakes?
- Duntroon is to the east and Kurow is to the west along State Highway 83, with the Waitaki Dam and its fishing access nearby.
- How do I get from Oamaru to Earthquakes?
- By car, around 60 to 70 minutes inland on State Highway 83 following the Waitaki Valley past Duntroon toward Kurow.
- What is the postcode for Earthquakes?
- The postcode for Earthquakes is 9494.
- What is the population of Earthquakes?
- Earthquakes has 993 residents, based on the 2023 Census.
Earthquakes Weather
Current conditions: 3.8°C, scattered clouds
| Month | High (°C) | Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm/day) | Sunshine (hrs/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☀️ Jan | 21.35 | 11.12 | 1.87 | 10.55 |
| ☀️ Feb | 21.42 | 10.54 | 1.49 | 10.54 |
| 🍂 Mar | 18.53 | 8.18 | 2.37 | 9.13 |
| 🍂 Apr | 16.34 | 6.35 | 1.73 | 7.95 |
| 🍂 May | 12.57 | 3.63 | 1.23 | 6.67 |
| ❄️ Jun | 9.89 | 1.62 | 1.71 | 5.62 |
| ❄️ Jul | 9.61 | 1.12 | 2.25 | 6.62 |
| ❄️ Aug | 11.14 | 0.9 | 1.24 | 8.17 |
| 🌸 Sep | 14.38 | 3.6 | 3.15 | 9.27 |
| 🌸 Oct | 15.81 | 5.27 | 3.78 | 10.43 |
| 🌸 Nov | 17.19 | 7.17 | 2.82 | 10.82 |
| ☀️ Dec | 20.06 | 10.14 | 3.85 | 9.9 |
Earthquakes Community
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