A number of people took to social media to report what they felt.
"Gisborne. That was a good one, felt like it last for a full minute of strong but gentle rocking," one person wrote.
Another said: "That definitely got the heart going!! Was hoping it wasn't going to get worse."
Today's 6.1 earthquake comes after a number of small earthquakes had been felt off the coast of East Cape overnight and this morning.
At 10.30am today a 5.4 magnitude quake struck 125km east of Te Araroa at a depth of 12km.
Earlier in the morning, a magnitude 4.4 quake struck 135km east of Te Araroa at 8.56am today at a depth of 12km.
A 4.7 quake was registered at the same location and depth, at 7.58am today. GeoNet labelled it "weak".
A flurry of 12 small earthquakes registering between 3 and 4.7 also occurred between 6pm and 9am off the coast of Te Araroa.
Future earthquake threats
GeoNet has warned there is a very likely chance of future earthquakes in the next 30 days.
They say there is up to 90 per cent chance further earthquakes of a smaller magnitude than occurred yesterday will occur in the next month.
However, the chances of earthquakes occurring will decrease in frequency over the next 30 days.
GeoNet says there is an 80 per cent chance for earthquakes in the magnitude 7 to 7.9 range.
Larger earthquakes are more likely to occur in the central Kermadecs.
GeoNet predicts there is less than a 15 per cent chance of a magnitude 8.0 or more earthquake in the next 30 days.
"Should this occur, it is much more likely to be in the central Kermadecs, but it is still possible for it to happen near the East Cape.
"Earthquakes of this size can occur on either the subduction interface or farther away as an "outer rise" earthquake on the incoming Pacific plate, east of the subduction zone."
