‘The whole lounge wobbled’: Thousands feel deep magnitude 5.7 quake

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake has prompted thousands of felt reports nationwide.

GeoNet said the quake struck at 6.25pm, 30km northeast of Taumarunui in the central North Island, at a depth of 269km.

It classified the shaking as light as it upgraded the quake’s strength to 5.7.

More than 5000 people have reported feeling the quake, with reports extending from the Bay of Plenty to the top of the South Island.

GeoNet said deep earthquakes were typically felt across a wide area, although usually not close to the epicentre.

“This is due to the subducting tectonic plate under the North Island - most of the quake’s energy travels up and along the plate to the surface,” GeoNet said on Facebook.

“Though the epicentre is close to Taumarunui it is not a continuation of the earthquake sequence that rocked the settlement earlier in the year.”

People on social media described a noticeable shake with swaying, jolting and rolling across parts of the North and South islands.

“Was surprised we felt it. The whole lounge wobbled,” one person in Nelson commented.

Another in Wellington said: “Yep! Felt in Wellington City... jolt followed by slow rolling.”

Felt reports across the country after a quake was recorded northeast of Taumarunui at 6.25pm on Thursday. Image / GeoNet

“Good shake and then rolling in Palmy North,” another wrote.

A person in the Marlborough Sounds described a “moderate 5 to 8 second wobble in the sounds”.