Jolt felt in the Bay

Hawke's Bay felt a jolt and then rolling motion as an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the richter scale hit 100 km east of Te Araroa at 11.33am today.

It struck at a depth of 31km and was listed as severe on GeoNet, and was widely felt from Auckland to Wellington.

The website's Felt Reports recorded that most felt a light to weak quake.