Wellington rattled by 4.2 quake

The quake struck at 10:16 am, 10 km west of Porirua. Photo / GEONET

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A moderate earthquake has been felt in the lower North Island.

It struck at 10.16 this morning, measuring 4.2 in magnitude and was centred 10 km west of Porirua at a depth of 30km.

The jolt was reportedly felt throughout the Wellington region, including the Hutt Valley and Kapiti Coast.

A fire service spokesman said there been no reports of damage as a result of the quake, although one Strathmore resident told Fairfax Media two windows fell out of their home and the chimney was now cracked.

Emily Williams was at work in Porirua when the quake hit, describing it as "one big jolt".

"Literally the desk just shook and I thought, did that just happen? No one else felt it."

She said it was very different to the 5.7 magnitude quake which struck on Saturday.

"The one the other day started off subtle but then built up. This one was just one big jolt."

The jolt followed a magnitude 5.7 tremor on Saturday, which caused minor damage to the Meridian building in downtown Wellington, although caused no structural damage.

Ms Williams said today's quake was very different to the 5.7 magnitude quake which struck on Saturday.

"The one the other day started off subtle but then built up. This one was just one big jolt."

Other Wellingtonians turned to Twitter to describe today's quake.

"No wonder the quake freaked me out the epicenter was 3 km from my house," Julieann Thomas wrote.

Scarletbee was up a building on Murphy St when it struck, and described it as an "energetic little quake".

"Piquant, with a cheeky intro and a sharp finish."

- Herald Online staff