Quake near Milford rattles South

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake has struck tonight 25km northwest of Milford Sound, shaking parts of the lower South island.

The quake was 5km deep and moderate shaking was reported close to the epicentre.

It was felt near Queenstown as ‘‘a bit of a roll-on’’, lasting several seconds.

A resident near Frankton, who asked not to be named, said the quake was felt as a light, rolling motion, without sound.

The quake had lasted about three seconds, and had not disturbed anything in the house, or caused any damage at the property, the resident said.

Other people who felt the quake have taken to social media, describing it as a "decent jolt, and another saying windows shook in her house.

One person on Twitter posted: "Whoaaaaaaa, that's about the strongest I've ever felt in ZQN (though am up in Glenorcy in the mountains currently). Everybody in town ok?"

The quake was felt widely across the lower South Island, including across Central Otago and as far as Dunedin.

Geonet says the quake was a moderate 5.3 with 1587 "felt reports" from as far north as Auckland.

 - additional reporting John Gibb

 

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