Tsunami tests

Tsunami sirens throughout Auckland and Northland will be tested this Easter to coincide with the end of daylight savings. Rodney sirens at Point Wells, Whangateau, Omaha and Waiwera will be tested on

Saturday, March 31 at 12 noon, a day earlier than usual. Auckland emergency management director John Dragicevich says the sirens are normally tested on the Sunday of daylight savings weekend.

“But because this year it also happens April Fool’s Day, we are holding the test on Saturday,” he says.

The test sequence will consists of three sets of tones, which will sound for one minute each, with a 15 second gap between each set.

The Mangawhai tsunami sirens will be tested on Easter Sunday, April 1 at noon for 10 minutes and then again at 12.30pm for 30 seconds.

All tsunami sirens are tested twice-yearly. The public aren’t required to do anything, it’s a good time to think about what would happen in a real emergency.