A magnitude 4.9 earthquake centred near Wellington has jolted central parts of New Zealand this evening.
GeoNet said the quake occurred at 9.09pm on Thursday and was centred 25km north-west of Wellington at a depth of 24km.
More than 30,000 reported feeling the shaking, classified as "moderate", within 10 minutes of the tremor.
It was felt widely across the lower North Island and the upper South Island, as far north as New Plymouth and as far south as Marlborough.
Initially reported as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, Geonet had since downgraded it.
"It was rather loud, at first I thought it was our neighbour and the bass of his music," one Miramar resident said on social media.
Another person said: "That was an exciting one, I thought she was going to go full throttle on us."
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