Quake felt from Arthurs Pass to Banks Peninsula

An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale gave some Cantabrians a start in the early hours of this morning.

The quake struck at 3.41am, 20km east of Sheffield.

Ashley Gorge Holiday Park manager Brian Norton heard a bang in the night.

"We thought one of the kids fell out of a bunk," Mr Norton said.

He said he got up to have a look but his kids were sound asleep.

"It must have been something outside," Mr Norton said.

The quake had a focal depth of 5km. It had attracted over 40 reports by 10.30am from homes from Arthurs Pass in the northwest to the Banks Peninsula in the southeast.

- NZ HERALD STAFF