Quake causes anxious wait for Tauranga family | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

A quiet few days alone has turned into an anxious wait to have her family home safe for a Tauranga woman, whose husband and two daughters were in Christchurch when this morning's earthquake struck.

Megan Lacy's eldest daughter, Jessica, 14, was in Christchurch with the Otumoetai College Girls' Hockey First XI, to compete in the Federation Cup - National Secondary Schoolgirls Hockey Tournament.

Mrs Lacy's husband, Craig, and younger daughter, Georgia, 9, were also staying in Christchurch during the tournament at her brother's home about three minutes' drive from Christchurch Airport.

"He (Mrs Lacy's brother) came running down the hall to my husband and he said, this is a big one, this is not normal."

Mrs Lacy first heard about the earthquake via a text message from Jessica about 4.45am.

Team manager Jo Jackson said the 16 girls and three adults were staying in a two-storey motel in Papanui Rd, central Christchurch, when the quake hit, sending microwaves crashing to the floor and the lights swinging from the ceiling.

"It was like half a minute easy, and then we just got waves of aftershocks.

"You just don't know what it is."

Mrs Jackson said the girls did the right thing, running for cover.

Mrs Lacy said the girls took shelter under doorframes.

"They just said they jumped out of bed and went under the doorframes."

Aftershocks continued into the morning.

"My daughter described it as a constant vibration," Mrs Lacy said.

Mrs Lacy has spent the day on the phone, fielding calls from worried friends and relatives, thinking, " could I just have you (her family) back here now."

Mrs Jackson said she had managed to split the players up and get them home on alternative flights this afternoon.

Her family's arrival could not come soon enough for Mrs Lacy, who had been looking forward to a relaxing three days on her own.

"I'm hoping by 7 o'clock I should be breathing properly," she said.

Mrs Lacy said Georgia had told her she was bringing home a brick from the rubble of one of the buildings as a souvenir of her ordeal.

• Do you know of anyone from Tauranga or the Western Bay who was in Christchurch during Saturday morning's earthquake? We'd love to hear their story, contact us at news@bayofplentytimes.co.nz