5.4 quake jolts lower North Island

A deep 5.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled the lower North Island this morning was felt as far away as Christchurch.

The tremor struck about 8.30am on Friday and was centred 10km south-west of Waverley in Taranaki.

Geonet said it struck at a depth of 107km.

By 11am, more than 14070 people had reported feeling the quake. Most described it as weak, light or moderate.

On Geonet's website, people reported feeling the shake in Christchurch, Nelson, and Blenheim. 

So far 12 people have reported feeling an extreme shake, five said it was severe, 51 strong, 880 moderate, 5702 light and 7426 weak.

One person said their house shook in Tadmor Valley in the Tasman region, while others in Inglewood and the Marlborough Sounds said it shook their beds.

-RNZ and Allied Media