Magnitude 5 earthquake north of Canterbury

More than 1300 people have reported feeling the quake. Photo / GeoNet

More than 1300 people have reported feeling a magnitude 5.2 earthquake which has struck 15km north-west of Culverden this morning. The quake was 9km deep.

The quake was felt right across the upper South Island and many parts of the North Island.

It came just two minutes after a quake hit 20km north of Opotiki. The quake was initially recorded as being magnitude 6.3 at a depth of 128km but was revised down to 3.2.

GeoNet duty seismologist Dr Anna Kaiser said the quake was an aftershock from the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit in November.

She said they had received no reports of damage yet but it was "close enough to the epicentre to shake things around".

Kaiser said a report of a 6.3 magnitude quake near Opotiki which hit a minute before was quickly downgraded to a minor quake, and it's initial high intensity report was due to it coming in such close proximity to the quake near Culverden.

Rochelle De Vera works at the Culverden Four Square, and she was in the shop this morning when the earthquake struck.

"We felt it, it was quite a big one," she said.

She said the quake had knocked shelves over, and broken stock lay strewn on the shop floor.