Whanganui residents may have experienced a bit of shaking while eating their cornflakes yesterday morning.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake, centred west of Masterton at a depth of 24km, struck at 7.41am. Geonet recorded the quake as "strong", and said it was felt throughout the lower North Island.
People's experiences of the quake were quite varied - some described it as a long, swaying shake, while others said they hadn't noticed it.
On the Wanganui Chronicle's Facebook page, Nancy Rhodes of Whanganui East said it was a "good shake".
"Then it was gentle rolls for about two or three seconds."