A new Kiwi spectator sport: wave watching

New Zealand newspapers rely heavily on "casual" (single copy) sales -- at some regional papers, for up to half of their paid circulation. Every shop that sells newspapers displays posters with a teaser for the day's top story. Monday's headlines about New Zealand's reaction to tsunami triggered by the Chilean earthquake caught my attention.

The casual reaction of some New Zealanders -- head for the beach to check out the action -- drew criticism from Civil Defense officials. The increase in sea level was moderate along the east coast of the North Island (up to 1 meter at Whitianga, a beach I visted last month) and less in Auckland. Still, the force of the waves posed some risk to unprepared boaters and swimmers.

Officials were miffed that some Kiwis (a common term for New Zealanders) didn't take the warnings seriously. The "stupid" comment came from John Carter, the minister of Civil Defense. On the Web site of today's Herald, there's a debate over whether local councils should be able to prosecute gawkers who ignore warnings to evacuate.

Adventure-loving Kiwis, who invented extreme sports like black-water rafting (inner-tubing through caves) and Zorbing (rolling down hills inside a plastic ball), will no doubt find a way to exploit the public's curiosity about future tsunamis.