The official Geonet map showing reports of the quake on Friday. Photo:
A deep 5.4 earthquake has rattled the lower North Island.
The tremor, that struck about 8.30am on Friday, was centred 10km south-west of Waverley in Taranaki.
Geonet said it struck at a depth of 107km.
M5.0 quake causing light shaking near Waverley https://t.co/EDTDyVlUPM
— GeoNet (@geonet) January 8, 2026
Within a few minutes, more than 14,000 people registered as feeling the shake.
Most described is as being weak, light or moderate.
One person reported their house shook in Tadmor Valley in the Tasman region while people in Inglewood and the Marlborough Sounds reported it shaking their beds.
The felt reports on the Geonet website range from around Taranaki through to Nelson and Blenheim at the top of the South Island, with a number of people also reporting feeling the quake in Christchurch.
