Te Anau hit by another earthquake

Te Anau has been hit by another earthquake overnight, less than three weeks since the southern region was shaken by a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale.

This morning's magnitude 4.4 quake struck 40km north-west of Te Anau at 12.21am, at a depth of 90km, and was only likely to have been felt in the Te Anau area, according to Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS).

The big shake on November 23 struck 240km southwest of Te Anau at a depth of 33km , and was followed by a magnitude 6.5 aftershock.

The Earthquake Commission received 3000 claims, although damage was reported to have been minor.

Just over a year ago, Fiordland was hit by the biggest earthquake felt in New Zealand for 35 years.

The shallow and strong quake struck near Secretary Island at 12.12am on August 22, 2003, and lifted the seabed immediately offshore by about 45cm, according to scientists.

The quake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, and not only triggered a small tsunami - which travelled up the South Island's west coast and into several fiords - but was also felt moderately strongly in coastal New South Wales.

- NZPA