A magnitude 5.7 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands this morning triggered so-called "ghost quakes" along New Zealand's east coast. Photo/123RF
A large earthquake north of New Zealand has led to a number of ghost quakes across the North Island this morning.
A magnitude 5.7 quake struck 8.26am in the Kermadec Islands, nearly 1500km northeast of the country.
The tremor, which was 450km deep, triggered a trio of tremors on earthquake-recording
drums in Hawke's Bay and the East Coast.
GNS seismologist John Ristow said it was a phenomenon known as ghost quakes, where the drums picked up a strong quake and recorded it as a local tremor.
