Occasionally-observed resonances in the vertical components of earthquakes recorded at the Wainuiomata, New Zealand, soft site, are likely to be manifestations of the Airy phase of fundamental-mode Rayleigh waves which traverse the site. These packets of waves exist only when a soft, water-saturated layer of soil overlies a substrate with a much higher velocity. Other soft sites in Wellington also show the phenomenon, which may have implications for hazard estimates.