More than 10,000 people have reported feeling an earthquake that hit near Upper Hutt early this morning.
The 4.7 magnitude quake struck at 5.18am. Its epicentre was 23km deep and 5km north of the city, according to GeoNet.
People as far north as Auckland and as far south as Christchurch reported feeling the initial shaking but most who felt the quake were in the Wellington region.
“Not the word of a lie, this...quake just scared the crap out of me,” one Upper Hutt resident told the Herald.
“I’ve literally sat bolt right up in bed! The noise, The sound, The length, The rattle .. .. the worst one yet for me! Felt like a train drove right under the house and just now the after shocks feel like the house is vibrating.”
GeoNet has classified the quake as moderate, with the majority of people reporting feeling weak to moderate shaking.
A second magnitude 3.6 quake struck five minutes later, with around 5000 people reporting feeling the shaking, and a M 3.0 shake hit at 6.05am.
“Remember, drop, cover and hold is the right action to take in an earthquake and when in bed, cover your head,” GeoNet posted to its Facebook page.
Many commenters on social media described hearing, rather than feeling, the quake, described as a “nice noisy shake”.
“It was loud and strong , and we heard a boom for the second one but didn’t feel it,” one person said.
“Sound worse than the jolt, given the sound of it, heard through ear plugs, was braced for a much bigger shake…” said another.
A commenter on Twitter called the quake a “rude wake up call” while another said they were woken by a “big bang”.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.