A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck New Zealand’s North Island on Friday morning, with light to moderate shaking felt across large parts of the country.
The quake occurred at 8:29 a.m. local time, about 10 kilometers southwest of Waverley in South Taranaki, at a depth of 107 kilometers, according to official seismic data from GeoNet, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
GeoNet said it received more than 14,000 “felt it” reports within a short period, indicating the tremor was widely experienced well beyond the epicenter.
Residents reported feeling the quake in areas including Blenheim, Hamilton, Wellington, and other parts of the central and lower North Island.
Because the earthquake struck deep underground, many people described the shaking as a rolling or swaying motion rather than a sharp jolt. Near the epicenter, the shaking was generally classified as light, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.