Tens of thousands of New Zealanders begun their day being rocked by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake this morning.
The quake hit at 7:53am and was centred 30km north-east of Levin, off the coast of Foxton Beach, GeoNet reported.
According to the GeoNet website, more than 36,000 people felt the quake of "strong" intensity, with felt reports submitted from Northland to Dunedin. The quake was most commonly felt in the Taranaki, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington regions.
It set off a chain of ten weaker aftershocks throughout the morning.
The first aftershock hit within five minutes, a magnitude 3.5. The most significant aftershock was a "light" intensity magnitude 4.4 quake at 10:44am.
The National Emergency Management Agency said there was no risk of tsunami resulting from the quake.
Minister responsible for the Earthquake Commission, Grant Robertson, said he had just got off the phone with Civil Defence minister Peeni Henare, who informed him there were currently no reports of any significant damage.
Civil Defence officials were checking infrastructure and checks were also underway on rail lines across the region to ensure they were safe, he said.
"So far no damage at all," said Robertston.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand and local authorities received no immediate reports of damage.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was speaking to MediaWorks' The AM Show live from Parliament when the quake struck.
Radio presenters on MORE FM and The Breeze in Manawatū felt the quake from the first floor of their Palmerston North studios while live on air.
MORE FM quickly changed their scheduled programme to incorporate telephone calls from listeners and Civil Defence.
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence and Emergency Management group controller Craig Grant told the show he felt the quake in his car.
He said the next step was for district and city councils to survey their areas to see if any damage had occurred and advised listeners the best action to take in an earthquake was to "drop, cover and hold".
The Breeze presenter Chris Burn was talking about his first night out since the COVID-19 alert level four lockdown on Saturday, before being interrupted by the jolt.
"Earthquake. Right now. Earthquake," he said on his show.
The "rattling" lasted for approximately 30 seconds.
"I'm not a fan of earthquakes," said Burn shortly after the shaking stopped.
He told listeners his partner, Kaye, had a premonition yesterday that a quake might occur.
"Yesterday it was so quiet and so still partner Kaye was saying 'Ooh earthquake weather'. Yesterday, nothing happened, but this morning, bingo, there it was," he said.
Horowhenua mayor Bernie Walden spoke to TVNZ's Breakfast and said he felt the quake from his home in Levin.
"It went for a considerable about of time. I'm just waiting on a couple of calls to update me in terms of any damage. No doubt people are running around checking infrastructure and buildings," he said.
Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall told the Whanganui Chronicle the quake was pretty sudden and came in strong and hard.
"It was a very jittery quake and it got a bit stronger but I was very impressed the kids automatically went under the breakfast table."
McDouall said it was the strongest quake he has felt since the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016.
He said, as of 9am, he had heard of no reports of damage so far in the Whanganui district.
"It's a good reminder that we live on fairly seismic active land and we just have to make sure we have enough water for three or four days and the things that can fall over are tied back."
Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson told the Whanganui Chronicle as of 9am he hadn't received any reports of damage "as yet".
"They will come in though, it was enough of a roll to cause some damage," he said. "Let's wait and see. When it struck, I thought 'uh oh, I hope this isn't Christchurch', because that would have been huge."
The quake woke Mark Wasley in Feilding.
"It was certainly quite a rumble and instantly recognisable," he said. "The shaking lasted for approximately 30 seconds and then I turned my radio on for further information."
All train services were suspended in Wellington immediately after the quake and the entire network will be inspected, a statement from Metlink said.
"As inspections are completed, sections of the network will be cleared for trains. This means we will have some trains moving along the network before full train services resume," the statement said.
Metlink were advising passengers to expect significant delays. Limited replacement bus services are operating on the Kāpiti and Hutt Valley lines.
The Capital Connection commuter train from Palmerston North was due to arrive at Wellington Railway Station at 8:20am.
Source: Manawatū Standard and Whanganui Chronicle.
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