Scientist Clive de Roo (played by Mark Mitchinson) detects volcanic activity under Waitematā Harbour.
As de Roo presents as a maverick, he is not being taken seriously by his colleagues and his calls for having the city evacuated fall on deaf ears.
[1] After a few days, the volcano starts erupting without any organised evacuation having taken place, with de Roo filming from his home.
[3] Both Aftershock and Eruption were by screenwriter Graeme Tetley, with the Auckland doco-drama one of his last works before his death in March 2011.
This was one month after the initial Christchurch earthquake where a New Zealand population experienced a natural disaster.