'Long and strong' 5.3 magnitude earthquake rocks New Zealand's North Island

A strong earthquake struck the southern part of New Zealand's North Island, with over 23,000 people reporting they felt the tremors. One man stated that he heard the sound of the earthquake approaching before feeling the initial strong shaking.

The earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.3 and was centered 10 kilometers east of Eketahuna, at a depth of 35 kilometers. It occurred at 11:26 PM (9:26 PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time), with reports of shaking felt as far north as Doubtless Bay and as far south as Lake Manapouri, though the majority of reports came from the central and southern regions of the North Island.

Alison Hurt, who strongly felt the earthquake at Foxton Beach, told Stuff that it was frightening. "It lasted a long time, it was really strong, at least a minute," she said. She did not notice any damage, but photos fell off her sideboard. "It seemed to come out of nowhere, the dogs were going crazy before I felt it," she added.

Carol Kehely said the earthquake came without warning. "There was this huge rumble like a heavy truck, then a 'bang'," she said, "but nothing moved apart from me and the cat." Following the earthquake, people took to social media to share their experiences, with one man from Masterton saying "that was strong." "I heard the earthquake, then a big jolt, the whole house was shaking and creaking, then a smaller jolt, and then it was over," he said. Another person stated, "Felt quite shaky in Dannevirke."

Earlier in the evening, there were also two "minor" earthquakes in the North Island. At 9:56 PM, a magnitude 2.6 earthquake with a depth of 10 kilometers occurred 15 kilometers east of Stratford, and at 10:38 PM, a magnitude 2.4 earthquake with a depth of 6 kilometers occurred in Masterton.