‘Moderate’ shaking as 4.9 earthquake jolts Hawke’s Bay

A widely felt earthquake has jolted Hawke’s Bay on Wednesday evening.

The 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck 20km south of Hastings at 5.53pm.

GeoNet reported the quake, which hit at a depth of 30km, caused “moderate” shaking.

Within 5 minutes of the quake, more than 5000 people reported feeling it on GeoNet’s national website.

Most of them were in and around Hawke’s Bay, but some were in Wellington, Manawatu, Wairarapa and Whanganui.

A moderate shake in Hastings this evening with a M 4.9 occurring 20km to the south. It was felt throughout the Hawkes Bay, Manawatu and parts of the Greater Wellington region. We have received 5600+ felt reports. pic.twitter.com/Mr5h3LrsyO

— GeoNet (@geonet) August 13, 2025

One resident in Hastings reported it was a short jolt with the power to shift things on shelves, followed by a long, rolling motion.

Jerry Flay told Hawke’s Bay Today: “In 13 years in Hawke’s Bay, that was easily the biggest shake I have experienced.”

“Decent, noise like a truck, then rocking and rolling, this one even scared the dogs!” another commented online.

This first earthquake was followed by a second smaller quake around 6.25pm at a depth of 29km.

GeoNet reported the updated strength of the second as magnitude 3.6. So far it has garnered several hundred felt reports.

M3.9 quake causing light shaking near Hastings https://t.co/WvSpSqxj73

— GeoNet (@geonet) August 13, 2025

Cluster of earthquakes

Last week, seismologists at Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly Niwa and GNS Science) were monitoring a cluster of earthquakes off the country’s east coast.

The government agency recorded 34 earthquakes that week 15km west of Castlepoint in the lower North Island.

“Of the 34 earthquakes, 31 have been less than magnitude 3. The sequence is playing out at around 20km depth,” Earth Sciences New Zealand seismic duty officer Sam Taylor-Offord said.

The largest was measured at magnitude 4.2 early on Monday.

Taylor-Offord said the earthquake cluster was in an area of subduction – where the Pacific Plate is sliding beneath the overlying Australian Plate.

“This collision and sliding loads stress into the plates, and earthquake sequences like this are an expression of some of that stress being released,” Taylor-Offord said.

“Unfortunately, earthquakes like these aren’t releasing the stress of ‘the big one’. They are best thought of as a gentle – and sometimes not so gentle – reminder of the active tectonic environment we live in.”