The 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Taupō last night caused cracks in the ground, with a lake surge even pulling two pedal boats into the water which were stored at a seemingly safe distance away on the lake's bank.
The quake, which struck at a depth of nine kilometres at 11:47pm on Wednesday night, was felt by more than 5000 people who registered the jolt with GeoNet.
It was centred under Lake Taupō, an area which has seen an uptick in activity since May, causing the Volcanic Alert Level to be raised to 1 for the first time.
Taupō Pedal Boats co-owner Jess Ratana says she has lived there all her life and the shaking is the worst she's experienced.
"There's been quite a few aftershocks and debris everywhere in the lake," Ratana said.
Two of her pedal boats were heavily damaged after being pulled into the lake following the earthquake after a surge of water swept them in.
She says the boats had been pulled onto the grass around three metres away from the shore as there had been high winds in the area lately, however it wasn't far enough.
It comes as a blow to the company with the busy summer period approaching and the boats taking around three months to repair as they were made overseas.
"We still have four waterbikes available and are still open," Ratana assured customers still keen to hit the lake.
She says they were still pulling pieces of the damaged boats from the lake this morning.
Another image provided to 1News shows large cracks in the ground next to the lake after the earthquake.
Video from this morning shows a person's lounge shaking as the earthquake struck.
The quake has been felt by thousands and there have been several aftershocks, GeoNet said. (Source: Breakfast)
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