A magnitude 7,4 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the Kermadec Islands, at 10.39am GMT on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey reported on its website.
The quake — which hit at a depth of 148km — was located some 290km south, south-west of Raoul Island, in the Kermadec Islands chain.
The Kermadecs, some 810km north-east of Auckland, are New Zealand’s northernmost territory and one of the most active sites in the world for earthquakes caused by tectonic plate movement.
Reports from Whakatane on the east coast of New Zealand said the quake rolled for 30 seconds, while a Wanganui resident on the west coast said the shaking lasted almost a minute.
A Whakatane police officer said he was sitting on a roller chair talking to the police communications centre in Auckland when it struck.
”Things started moving and I thought this is a goodie, ” Sergeant Andrew O’Reilly said.
The Kermadec area has been experiencing up to 30 earthquakes a day since March 18 when a New Zealand conservation worker was killed in a volcanic eruption on volatile Raoul Island.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said that ”no destructive Pacific-wide tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data”, but cautioned that earthquakes of this magnitude can sometimes spark local tsunamis.
”Authorities in the region should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action,” the tsunami centre said in its statement. — AFP
