KEY POINTS:
The deep south was shaken early this morning by a quake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale.
The quake hit Fiordland, 50 km north-west of Te Anau, at 4.50 this morning at a focal depth of 120km.
GeoNet has over 160 reports of the quake on its website.
Households felt the quake throughout the south and as far east as Dunedin.
GNS Science duty seismologist Brian Ferris said the only reports of damage so far were some goods tossed off shelves in Queenstown, 130km north of the epicentre.
There was likely to be some "minor cracking, nothing more serious," in some local buildings, he said.
Mr Ferris said it was a moderately deep earthquake so no significant after shocks were expected.
Police in Invercargill said there were no immediate reports of it being felt there.
- NZPA / NZHERALD STAFF
