A strong magnitude 5.7 earthquake has struck near Te Araroa on the East Coast on Sunday evening.
The quake comes just a day after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck near Te Anau in the South Island, and follows several weeks of heightened seismic activity across the country.
GeoNet said the quake hit at 8.35pm, centred 10km south-west of Te Araroa at a depth of 39km.
The shaking was classified as “strong”.
Felt reports showed more than 5240 felt the shaking by 9pm.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Some social media users said it was a sharp jolt or rumble that had shaken them and the furniture in their houses.
One Gisborne local emailed RNZ, writing that the quake “rattled the house with a strong shudder”.
Two weaker magnitude 3 shakes were recorded at 8.40pm and 9.07pm, near the same location.
On Saturday, a Te Anau quake struck 35km north-west of the town at a depth of 102km.
That followed a magnitude 5.9 earthquake north of Te Anau on 25 July, which prompted a brief tsunami warning and evacuation notice for parts of the West Coast before it was cancelled.
On Friday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake also shook the lower North Island and upper South Island after striking offshore north-west of Porirua.
Following Saturday’s Te Anau quake, GeoNet scientist Jonathan Hanson said New Zealand had been living up to its “Shaky Isles” reputation.
While it had been a busy few weeks for earthquakes, Hanson said the recent activity was not unusual overall, with New Zealand typically recording between 15 and 20 magnitude 5 earthquakes each year.
GeoNet reminds people to “Drop, Cover, Hold” if they feel shaking, and to know their tsunami evacuation route if they are near the coast.
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