A 5.5-magnitude earthquake has struck the upper South Island.
Residents in Wellington down to Christchurch have reported feeling the quake.
Geonet reported the quake at 4.15pm today, initially as ''strong'' but it has been updated to ''severe''.
It was 10km southeast of Seddon in Marlborough, and had a 12km depth.
It was followed by several smaller quakes. A 3.0-magnitude struck 25km south of Hastings at the same. It had a 27km depth.
The owner of SuperValue in Seddon Kevin Kamat said the shaking lasted for about five seconds.
''It was quite strong. We had about 12 customers in the store and everyone made a beeline for the door.''
Pete Kiley owner of the Seddon camp ground, which has been closed for some years now, said it was the biggest shake they have had in Seddon since last month's 7.8 magnitude quake.
''It really shook the house up.''
