Auckland quake 'felt like a truck'

File photo / Michael Craig

Auckland was hit by an earthquake at 9.09 last night, and residents reported shaking across the city.

GeoNet said the quake was magnitude 2.9 at a depth of 9km east of central Auckland, off Mission Bay beach.

It was felt as far north as Wellsford and as far south as Papakura.

It was similar in force to about five aftershocks that hit Christchurch yesterday.

Geonet said that in suburbs near the epicentre the tremor was felt as a 5 on the modified Mercalli intensity scale, which measures an earthquake's effects on people and their environment.

It runs to 12; the disastrous February 22 earthquake in Christchurch rated at 9 - "destructive".

The earthquake also lit up Twitter. TV One breakfast weather presenter Tamati Coffey wrote: "Just felt an earthquake in little ol herne bay?!? What the...".

Spudmasher said: "State of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake disturbs glasses of pinot and causes machiatos to spill over cup tops."

And gible said: "It wasn't an earthquake Auckland - the taniwha just farted."

TheDimsBand said: "Harden up Auckland. Stop going on about a magnitude 2.9 quake like it's news."

The Herald received hundreds of emails from Auckland readers who felt the quake.

Gail, who said she lived one street from Mission Bay beach, was in the kitchen of her second-floor flat with her partner, James.

"We felt a very noticeable shake with vibrations. Very strange sensation."

Duncan Milne said: "The magnitude 2.9 earthquake was certainly felt out in Saint Heliers tonight. All the neighbours came out onto the street wondering what was going on. It felt like a truck drove into the house!"

Jane Watson of Pt Chevalier said it was enough to make the remotes move on the coffee table.

Phillip Gray thought it was "some idiot downstairs slamming a door".

Trevor Hardy of St John said it was the largest shake he had felt since he returned to New Zealand 14 years ago.

"Let's hope it is not the precursor of things to come."

Angelic Murray said: "We live in Orakei and felt the shake at 9.09pm tonight. It lasted a second or two and was a loud noise that we noticed over the TV noise.

"We went outside to see what happened and three neighbours all came out at the same time."

Hamish Wilson thought someone had driven into his house.

"We rushed out to check it out and all of our neighbours had come out. ... was very sharp ... I cannot believe it was 2.9. My thoughts are really with those in Christchurch."

Russ Hogg said he was talking to his mother in Portsmouth, England, when the house shook for about three seconds.

"I thought it was a massive truck driving up the main road."

Nicola Poznanovich in Farm Cove, Pakuranga, said she felt "this massive jolt" to her double-storey house.

"It felt like something had crashed into our house but only with the sound of someone slamming a door downstairs."

Paul Ellis said he was "on the loo and felt the room shake. I thought someone had knocked over a piano upstairs, only we don't own a piano. It was short and sharp but probably nothing a Cantab would notice."

Janet Brassel said she couldn't believe it was an earthquake "as this is not Christchurch ... Makes us realise now how frightened the Christchurch residents must be with aftershocks."

Victoria University seismologist John Townend said Aucklanders should not be overly alarmed, as earthquakes occurred throughout New Zealand.

"Most of New Zealand, apart from the very far north and perhaps south Otago ... gets earthquakes now and again.

"Auckland doesn't get them very often and when they do happen they tend to be small. There have been moderate earthquakes in the Hauraki Gulf in recent years."

GNS duty seismologist Lara Bland said about 12 earthquakes had been recorded in the Auckland region in the past five years.

"And a lot of those were in 2007 when there seemed to be a swarm in February. The biggest one of those was about 4.5 magnitude, and I remember that making the news."

It was too early to know what fault line the earthquake occurred on, and there was a small possibility of a few more earthquakes soon.

She said there was no link between the earthquake and the region's volcanoes.

Auckland is in one of New Zealand's lowest earthquake activity areas but it has small, mostly unnoticed earthquakes of less than magnitude 3 several times a year.

The Auckland Regional Council - now part of the Super City council - has reported that Auckland has had about 35 earthquakes greater than magnitude 3 since 1830, but only one caused significant damage.