WHEN TO HEAD FOR THE HILLS

If shaking lasts longer than a minute and/or If a quake knocks you off your feet WHAT TO DO Don’t wait for the siren or official warnings Leave immediately on foot or by bicycle – do not drive Check your vulnerable neighbours – but don’t dawdle Wremo advises people living below the blue lines to practise their safety routes at least once which looked at house sales in Thames and Te Aroha before and after flooding hazard maps were published, and showed property prices were unaffected.

The news may be a surprise to Kapiti Coast residents, who have campaigned against erosion lines affecting 1800 properties.

First National real estate agent Grant Longstaff said the modelling had affected some Kapiti Coast buyers but not others. ‘‘In terms of prices, they dropped back a little bit, but that can come and go with the market.’’

Harcourts Wellington City agent Marty Scott agreed with re- search saying the tsunami lines had no discernable impact on property prices in south coast suburbs.

He also doubted homeowners in Lyall Bay and Kilbirnie would notice any differences.

Insurance premiums should also be unaffected, Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said. ‘‘We haven’t been given any information there’s any special consideration given to tsunami zones in New Zealand, in terms of how the premium is made up.’’

Tsunami damage is covered by the Earthquake Commission.