A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Te Anau just after 7am this morning.
GeoNet reported that the quake was 134km deep and occurred 35km north-west of Te Anau.
The jolt was sharp enough to topple ornaments and was felt as far away as Queenstown and Balfour north of Gore in Northern Southland.
The quake had attracted 178 'felt reports' on GeoNet's website by 7.30am from Stewart Island to as far north as Hawke's Bay.
A Southern Police spokesman said there were no immediate reports of damage.
Jane McEwan, owner of The Croft Bed and Breakfast on Te Anau Milford Highway, said the quake was noisy with a prolonged lead-up.
"We had one [at] the end of last week as well..it was certainly the biggest one that I've felt for a while.
"The actual quake was quite quick - just a few seconds."
Ms McEwan said her property didn't suffer any damage from the quake.
Last Thursday evening parts of coastal Otago were rocked by a 4.1 magnitude earthquake 30km west of Dunedin and 4km deep.
