Thousands are reporting feeling a magnitude 4.7 earthquake.
The quake struck at 7:51pm on Saturday, south of Nelson and north-west of Kaikoura, at a depth of 57km.
Within minutes, more than 2500 people had reported feeling the shake on GeoNet, which said it had been a "light" earthquake.
"Short and sharp #eqnz a few minutes ago. Thought someone slammed a door in my house, until I remembered I live alone…" one person said on Twitter.
"Oooh, that was a shakey one. This house doesn't usually react as much as my last house."
"A quick shake in Nelson- anyone else feel that one?"
Most of the reports came from the Tasman area, but one "severe" report was in Tauranga.
