A strong earthquake centred off the Kapiti Coast was felt widely across the lower North Island and the upper South island.
It struck at 8.49am Saturday.
GNS Science seismologist John Ristau says the quake, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, was centred 60 km north of Porirua in the Wanganui Basin, at a depth of 50 km.
He said there have been no reports of damage yet.
