Taranaki has been woken by a magnitude 5.0 quake this morning, which struck 10km north-west of Opunake.
GeoNet has rated the quake - which was centred at a depth of 14km - as 'severe'.
It hit at 5.59am this morning.
It was felt as far north as Auckland, and as far south as Wakefield, near Nelson.
Paul Raybould, the manager of Headlands Hotel in Opunake, said the main rumble only lasted a few seconds.
"I was just lying in bed actually, I hadn't long woken up, when all of a sudden, there was this rumble. You could really hear it coming and then there was a really violent shake that went on for only two or three seconds, I guess."
Teresa Turner, who lives in Okato, about 30 kilometres north of Opunake, said it was a "rude awakening".
"Suddenly, the bed was shaking really violently. It takes you a moment to process it. I thought, 'Oh my God, an earthquake -- it must be a really big one'.
"It was a sharp shaking form side to side and quite violent. It was probably only a few seconds, but it feels longer."
There have been no reports of damage so far.
That was a bit of a jolter, I dont normally get awoken by early morning quakes, Doc is grumpy (not unusual), but otherwise all is well #eqnz
— James Hook (@nzhook) November 7, 2016
Heard that one coming. Rumble followed by an increasing sharp roll #eqnz
— William Johnston (@WillJohnston91) November 7, 2016
Cheers for the wake up call, it's a shame I don't start work until 1pm. #taranaki #eqnz
— Sarah (@crunksunny) November 7, 2016
