Geonet says the short, sharp quake struck at 11.38pm and was centred 15km southwest of Wellington, at a depth of 13km.
A midnight shake this evening for the lower North Island and upper South Island with a M4.8 quake at 15km depth causing strong shaking. It was widely felt and we have received over 17,000 felt reports. For more info https://t.co/YYMqmCPicPpic.twitter.com/inqrDhETWH
More than 17,000 reports were received from people who felt theshake, according to the GeoNet site.
Many people in Wellington immediately took to social media to describe the quake, with one person saying it sounded like a truck crashing into their house.
Others described it as “sudden and violent”, saying it felt much stronger than magnitude 4.8. Many said they would struggle to go back to sleep after being woken by the jolt.
One woman said it was a “scary earthquake, long with big strong heavy booms”. Another said she lives near Lyall Bay beach and heard it rolling in from Cook Strait “a good few seconds before it hit”.
Wellington was shaken by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake overnight. Photo / GeoNet
A number of Wellingtonians said it felt like two violent shakes in quick succession.
The quake was also heard and felt widely across the top of the South Island.
