A new tsunami advisory was issued for parts of New Zealand on Friday after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Kermadec Islands on the northeast of New Zealand’s North Island, just hours after strong tremors rattled much of the country.
This followed another large 7.2 magnitude earthquake about 900 kilometres away on the east of the North Island that struck just four hours earlier and was felt by tens of thousands, causing its own tsunami warning. This warning was later lifted.
“We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore,” the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a tsunami advisory after the earthquake off the Kermadec Islands.
It asked people located between the Bay of Islands and Whangarei to stay off beaches and shore areas.
There was no tsunami threat to other areas of New Zealand.
Earlier in the day, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the east of New Zealand’s North Island.
More than 60,000 people reported feeling this quake on GeoNet’s website, with 282 describing the shaking as “severe” and 75 saying it was “extreme”. Most others described it as light. Aftershocks were still being recorded in the area.
There were no immediate reports of damage from either earthquake.
“Hope everyone is ok out there - especially on the East Coast who would have felt the full force of that earthquake,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted on Instagram.
There was no threat to the capital Wellington, Auckland or other regions, but civil defence authorities have asked residents across the country to stay away from beaches and marine areas as there could be strong and unusual currents.