The Hikurangi subduction zone: a credible magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami scenario. Video / East Coast LAB
A long and powerful earthquake jolted the lower and central North Island and was felt as far away as Christchurch late last night.
Geonet has upgraded the Taranaki quake, which struck at 11.49pm on Wednesday, to a 5.8 magnitude quake after initially classifying it as a 5.0.
It said itsepicentre was 25km east of Stratford. Its estimated depth was 187 km.
The quake was rated as "severe" on Geonet's 'felt reports' feature by several people in Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Whanganui, Wairarapa and Wellington, as well as near its Taranaki epicentre. Geonet classified the shaking from the quake as "light".
Within 10 minutes more than 33,000 people around NZ had reported feeling it. That had risen to more than 38,000 by 12.20am on Thursday.
"Scariest one I've ever felt! Not sure if it was good or bad getting the warning in my phone first."
Commenters on Geonet's Facebook page variously described the quake as a "jolt", "long light shaking", and a "long wobbly one".
Many were woken by the shaking but others heard it before they felt it, with one thinking it was a truck.
"I heard it for about 5 seconds before the shaking started, so I knew it was going to be relatively big. The house lurched about quite a bit," another person said.
Across the country, Kiwis reported that they had received an Android Earthquake Alerts System notification on their phone a few seconds before shaking started.
