Shake serves as reminder

The rolling 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Hawke's Bay residents on Tuesday night was a reminder to be prepared for big events, emergency services say.

The 10.36pm quake, centred 60km southwest of Opunake, lasted 45 seconds and was widely felt from the Bay of Plenty to Canterbury.

Hawke's Bay residents were quick to record their earthquake experiences on social media sites, with many reporting being woken, lunging for safety under doorways and tables, and falling objects.

Local experts pointed out New Zealanders were lucky the quake was 230km deep, because it was the type that could cause a tsunami.

Hawke's Bay Civil Defence emergency management co-ordinator, Lisa Pearse, said: "Being felt in Hawke's Bay as a weak, long, rolling motion with a long duration, [I] knew it was a large quake some distance away with the potential to generate a tsunami.

"People living on or near the coast should know that if a relatively weak, rolling earthquake hits and is of unusually long duration, like a minute or more, they should evacuate to higher ground."

Ms Pearse said the event was a physical reminder to be prepared for similar events.

Civil Defence Minister and Napier MP Chris Tremain agreed.

"While earthquake hazard varies from region to region, there is no room for complacency," he said. "All of New Zealand is earthquake prone.

"A major earthquake could happen anywhere and people need to know what to do when that happens."

For details on being prepared visit www.getthru.govt.nz

Visit the ShakeOut website for information about regional earthquake hazards at www.shakeout.govt.nz/whyparticipate/