Gordon Vogtherr was just 5-years-old, on his first day of school, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Hawke's Bay 90 years ago today.
The Napier quake on February 3, 1931, killed 256 people and injured thousands more. It is New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster to date.
Vogtherr's memory of that day is still vivid.
"I was in the classroom and when the quake came I guess I panicked," he told 1 NEWS reporter Sean Hogan.
"There was a swimming pool and when I did eventually get out you could see that water overlapping the pool and running everywhere.
"People everywhere were running, heading for home. When I got out of the school I started running and I didn't stop until I got home."
On his journey home, Vogtherr remembers seeing chimneys made of brick demolished in the town.
"Our particular chimney fell down, straight down, through into the kitchen," he said. "You can imagine what the kitchen looked like, jam jars and all sorts of stuff.
"And the smell. The smell was something that isn't until you experience that smell that you realise and it doesn't go away in a hurry."
Like many others in his community, Vogtherr said his family slept outside in a tent on the lawn after the earthquake.
While he said he doesn't keep thinking about the tragedy, "you don't forget it".
Reflecting on the day each year, Vogtherr said he tries to remember those who died as well as the people who rebuilt the city.
"It was a tremendous blow because nearly every building suffered ... there were 256 people killed. We need to remember those people."
This year he will mark the day by attending a service in Hastings. Another service is being held at the Napier Soundshell.
Vogtherr also had a message for the public: "Take care, be aware - we might get another earthquake."
Watch Gordon Vogtherr's tale of how his family lost all their business and the fires that came after on 1 NEWS at 6pm.
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