In the last two days the Bay of Plenty has been shaken by hundreds of earthquakes, some greater than magnitude 4, and most of them relatively shallow (less than 15km) . This means shaking at the surface has been significant, but we have not read of any people getting hurt, thankfully. Our whānau at Te Kura O Te Pārao are less than 20km from the middle of this swarm, and the evidence on their station is clear:

The region has been at the mercy of Tāwhirimātea *and* Rūaumoko in recent months an our thoughts are with those enduring the shaking while recovering from the recent storms.

This particular swarm appears to happen very near the natural geothermal area of Awakeri, which is part of the surface expressions of the Taupō Volcanic zone (TVZ).  Below is an image from the geothermal website of nz that shows the geothermal areas of the TVZ, including Awakeri: