Magnitude 4.9 earthquake strikes east of Picton, felt in Wellington

More than 14,000 people reported that they felt the earthquake. Photo / GeoNet

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake has struck 15km east of Picton and has been felt in Wellington.

GeoNet reported it was 35km deep and happened at 4pm.

“An afternoon shakeup for central NZ with a M4.9 earthquake, with moderate shaking”, GeoNet posted on social media platform X.

An afternoon shakeup for central NZ with a M4.9 earthquake, with Moderate shaking, occurring 10 km north-east of Picton. It was felt throughout central NZ and we have received over 13,000 felt reports.

Remember, Drop, Cover and Hold is the right action to take in a quake pic.twitter.com/2ri8bsHQ2J

— GeoNet (@geonet) November 4, 2024

More than 14,000 people reported that they felt the shake.

One person in Wellington described the earthquake on social media as “a bit of a shudder” and another said it “made me spill my cup of tea”.

“Rumbled right through the house like it was thinking about getting bigger”, one person said.

I was ready to accuse workmates of shaking the desks before that ramped up #eqnz

— Kia Ora Harvie (@JayHarvie) November 4, 2024

Kāpiti Coast District Council said on Facebook it was a “wee wobble” that went on for a while.

“It’s a timely reminder, with tomorrow being World Tsunami Day, that Long OR Strong, get gone! If an earthquake lasts a minute or longer, OR is so strong you can’t stand, don’t wait for official advice – get gone!”

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.