Image: NIWA
Seafloor bathymetry of the southern Hikurangi canyon-channel system. Clockwise from left the three major canyons are Pegasus Canyon, Kaikoura Canyon and the Cook Strait Canyon System. Both the Kaikoura and Cook Strait canyons bring steep and deep seafloor right up close to land meaning the potential for large tsunami generating landslides near to shore is greater than anywhere else.