Strong 5.7 earthquake near Nelson rattles South Island, lower North Island

More than 19,000 Kiwis reported feeling the quake, west of St Arnaud. Photo / GeoNet

A strong earthquake has rattled residents near St Arnaud, southwest of Nelson.

The 5.7 magnitude quake struck 10km west of the small alpine village in the South Island shortly before 10.15pm on Thursday.

Geonet says the quake was at a depth of 62km and has registered as "strong shaking".

More than 25,000 New Zealanders felt the jolt, with some Wellington residents saying it disturbed their sleep.

Quite the Wobble in Wellington ...👀 ⁦@geonet⁩ #earthquake pic.twitter.com/9U0e1A6Soo

— Jenny Meyer (@jennymeyer43) September 3, 2020

Well we just had an earthquake here in Wellington. 😂😂😂

— Jamie Swain (@JamieswainJamie) September 3, 2020

And according to those inside, Premier House, the Prime Minister's residence in Wellington, was a noisy place to be during a tremor.

https://t.co/v9jopoYZIu

— Clarke Gayford (@NZClarke) September 3, 2020

One Blenheim resident said they felt strong shaking and rolling from the quake around 10.15pm, while another person said the quake's motion felt like wind gusts from inside their camper van.

A West Coast resident said the glass doors inside their Barrytown house were rattling and shaking as the earthquake rolled.