Swarm of quakes hit east of North Island

APNZ | Thursday, October 6, 2011 10:15

The latest quake was at Porangahau, which is one of the most active sesmic areas of New Zealand at the moment.

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Photo Gallery: 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake

Buildings collapsed like cardboard as the magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Hawke's Bay at 10:46am on 3 February 1931. At least 258 people died in New Zealand's worst natural disaster, with a population of just 60,000 in Hawke's Bay at the time. Many of these images are hauntingly similar to those of the aftermath of the February 22 2011 earthquake in Christchurch eighty years later. Compiled by Peter Fowler

View larger gallery »

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hawke's Bay this morning following several small jolts in the region yesterday.

The quake struck at 2.42am, GNS Science said, within five kilometres of Porangahau at a depth of 50km.

GNS Science said the quake was felt in Hawke's Bay and Manawatu.

The jolt follows a 3.9 earthquake 10 km north-east of Waipawa at 8.14pm last night at a depth of 25km, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake at 12.26pm about 30 km southeast of Hastings at a depth of 25 km, and at 9.50am a magnitude 3.2 quake was recorded 20km southeast of Hastings at a depth of 20 km.

A deep 5.7 magnitude tremor also struck last night off Bay of Plenty. The quake struck at 10.57pm and was centred 20km northeast of Tauranga at a depth of 310km.