Traffic banks up as Wellingtonians rush to leave the central city this afternoon (Pic: Nick Chapman) This afternoon's series of earthquakes have not affected the capital's downtown gay venues other than to startle a sauna's tropical fish. The central New Zealand area was rocked by a 6.6 magnitude quake centred near Seddon in the northern South Island at 2.30pm. A series of aftershocks have continued to rock the region. In Wellington the city's highrises were quickly evacuated with most workers heading home on clogged motorways and roads. A staffer at Checkmate says the initial quake "shook a few fish tanks" but there has been no damage to the building or its facilities. He says the staff and customers are a little on edge, "But we feel like diving for the nearest doorway every fifteen minutes or so" he laughs, in reference to the ongoing aftershocks. Staff at Steamworks and Rush Bar say there is no damage and they, too, are open for business as usual. S
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 16th August 2013 - 8:24pm