Kaikoura has been rocked this afternoon by a 4.6 magnitude earthquake.
Geonet reported on its website that the quake was centred at a depth of 17km and located 15km north-east of Kaikoura.
Its intensity was described as "strong".
The quake struck at 2.10pm.
The north-east of the South Island is still recovering from last November's 7.8 magnitude thumper, a complex series of quakes that struck across several faultlines.