Strong quake rattles North Island

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake centred more than 200km away shook Hawke's Bay this afternoon.

The GeoNet website said the 1.05pm quake was centred 15km east of Tokoroa and was 199km deep.

The quake was felt widely around the lower and central North Island and Hawke's Bay.

GNS Duty seismologist John Ristau said the quake was felt so widely due to the way energy from deep earthquakes travelled.

"Large deep earthquakes like that tend to be felt a long distance away from the epicentre rather than close-by," he said. "It takes some distance for the energy to travel up to the surface."

The location of Hawke's Bay also made is susceptible to feeling earthquakes, Mr Ristau said.

He said deep quakes were less likely to create after shocks.

"Deep earthquakes like this tend not to really generate after shocks, if they do they tend to be small because they are so deep."

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