Rolling earthquakes rock North Island’s east coast

Residents on the North Island’s east coast have been hit with rolling, “jolting” earthquakes through the early hours of Saturday morning.

GeoNet said they had recorded a “swarm” of more than 40 earthquakes so far, between magnitude 2.5 and 4.8, around Whakatāne and Tauranga. The earthquakes started at 3.29am with the most recent being recorded at 6.54am.

A resident on a Whakatāne residents Facebook page said that the earthquakes had caused their house to shake and left them feeling uneasy. Others continued to report the earthquakes as they happened, with one saying the experience was scary.

“Feeling earthquakes close together in time can be unsettling, but this is typical activity for the area,” GeoNet said on Twitter. “Our team is keeping an eye on things.”

More to come