Pongaroa earthquake: Aftershock hits lower North Island after strong early-morning quake

An aftershock has rattled Pongaroa this afternoon after a stronger earthquake struck the lower North Island earlier in the day.

GeoNet said the 3.7-magnitude aftershock hit at 4.06pm and was centred 5km southwest of Pongaroa at a depth of 13km.

Shaking was described as light, with 32 people so far reporting they felt it.

The tremor follows a 4.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the region at 7.16am.

The original quake was measured at 17km deep, with the shaking initially described as moderate. It was revised an hour later to strong. It was widely felt from Wellington to Whanganui.

More than 2180 people reported feeling the tremor, with many saying they were jolted awake because of it.

“Woke me up in Palmerston North,” one person said.

“Woke me up and I was too tired to react much,” another said.

Another person near the quake’s epicentre in Pongaroa said they felt it but there was “no damage”.

“That wasn’t nice,” a Pongaroa resident said.

“All right, which one of you rolled out of bed after eating three different Christmas meals yesterday?” Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui jokingly posted.

“Quakes like this one are always a good reminder to drop, cover and hold when the ground starts shaking.”

It comes just a few weeks after another 4.8-magnitude jolt was felt in the area.

There were four aftershocks in quick succession on December 4, including one light, two weak and then another moderate quake of 4.4 magnitude at 12.17pm, GeoNet reported.

In August, a 4.9 earthquake struck nearby, about 20km south of Hastings.

GeoNet reported the quake, which hit at a depth of 30km, caused “moderate” shaking.

What to do if you’re woken by a quake

Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management director Shane Briggs said staying in bed during a quake had been official advice for some time.

“People are far more likely to be injured if they get up and move around during an earthquake. Research using ACC injury data from the 2016 Kaikōura-Hurunui earthquake supports this.

“Research consistently shows that ‘drop, cover, and hold’ is the best way to stay safe in earthquakes in New Zealand – and, if you’re in bed, that becomes ‘stay, cover, and hold’.”

Briggs said the advice was the same regardless of building type and moving towards a doorway was no longer recommended.

“Doors can swing violently, striking people or trapping fingers.

“This older advice came from a time when buildings were constructed differently and door frames were often the strongest part of a structure.

“Modern buildings are designed differently and that’s no longer the case.”

Once the shaking stops, people should get up if it was long and strong and they were in the blue tsunami evacuation zone, he said.