Earthquakes felt in Bay of Plenty and East Cape

An earthquake was felt in Bay of Plenty this morning. Photo / Getty Images

The Bay of Plenty and East Cape regions have been struck by earthquakes this morning.

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake, 120km east of Te Araroa and at a depth of 12km, was felt throughout Bay of Plenty and struck about 3.23am.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck 25km west of Whakatāne at a depth of 133km about 7.15am.

M4.9 quake causing weak shaking near Te Araroa https://t.co/KPq3AmgUgv

— GeoNet (@geonet) March 22, 2021

The earlier earthquake was in the same area as a swarm of strong earthquakes which caused a tsunami warning in early March.

On March 5, a massive 7.1 magnitude quake struck off New Zealand's east coast. The quake struck at 2.27am and was widely felt across the North Island and parts of the South Island.

It saw coastal towns evacuated due to a tsunami risk, however a tsunami did not eventuate.

The earthquake was centred 120kms east of Te Araroa. Photo / GeoNet