The SI Chronicles - Earthquake!

Don't be too alarmed, but there was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the south island while I was there. I didn't have the misfortune (?) of feeling it, because it took place in Fjordland and I was in Christchurch, but I did have the pleasure of making up many amazing stories about being in a huge earthquake as soon as I got back to Auckland, because everybody asked if I had been there. The earthquake was followed for several days by large aftershocks, some upward of 6.0 - more earthquakes in themselves rather than aftershocks, but I won't be picky. The funny thing about this huge earthquake in Fjordland, though, is that there were no major damages, and no injuries. I say this is funny because i think only in New Zealand could a 7.8 earthquake cause no major damage and harm no people. It is often assumed that New Zealand is a tiny country, and in many ways it is, but really, it's about the size of Colorado, so it isn't that small. When you consider that there are only about 4 million people in the whole place, it starts to get a lot bigger. There are miles and miles of land here broken only by fences, flocks of sheep, and the occasional farming road. Even better, there are more miles broken only by breathtaking mountains standing guard over a natural beauty consciously preserved by the people of this 'small' island country. So it isn't remarkable that there was a 7.8 earthquake in New Zealand (it's on the ring of fire, for goodness sake) that failed to cause any major damage or serious harm. What is remarkable is that anybody outside this "tiny" island country ever heard about it.