A severe quake initially believed to have struck Central Otago this morning actually hit south of New Zealand.

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Scientists can't rule out the possibility of a strong quake greater than magnitude 8 hitting the East Coast in the coming month.

Watch NZH Focus: A strong aftershock rocks the North Island's east coast, a 5.7 magnitude quake struck at 3.19 this morning. President Barack Obama becomes the first sitting US president to visit the isolated, landlocked Southeast Asian nation of Laos. And Mel Gibson’s new movie the World War II action drama ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ premieres to rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival.

One of the strongest aftershocks rocked the East Coast early today.

Hundreds of aftershocks rock the East Coast of the North Island - and seismologists warn they could go on for months.

The East Coast continues to be rattled by aftershocks with several moderate quakes jolting the region overnight.

Aftershocks have continued to shake the North Island after it was hit by one of its biggest earthquakes in decades.

Civil Defence's response to the 7.1 magnitude quake will be reviewed following criticism it was too slow to alert people of potential danger.

Reports of damaged homes are starting to come following this morning's 7.1 quake which triggered a tsunami warning, closed schools and temporarily stopped trains.

The Earthquake Commission is downplaying a discrepancy where it failed to keep track of more than 2000 "remedial requests".

Scientists say it would have been impossible to predict today's earthquake even though a tremor a day earlier was probably a foreshock.

The New Zealand Transport Agency is asking motorists in the Eastern Bay of Plenty to be aware of the risk of rock-falls and slips after the earthquake and aftershocks this morning.

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The strength of this morning's 7.1 earthquake centred off the East Coast cut power to 1000 homes in Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The shutting of train lines in Auckland after this morning's 7.1 magnitude earthquake were just a precautionary measure, KiwiRail says.

This morning's M7.1 quake is the biggest to hit the north of the North Island in more than 20 years, when a M7.2 quake struck in a similar spot in 1995.

Source: YouTube: Susan Wood

Watch NZH focus:The North Island's East Coast has been shaken by an early morning earthquake.

If you live in the East coast of the North Island, including Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty and the upper South Island here's what you need to know.

Civil Defence has cancelled the tsunami warning issued for the North Coast Regions of the North Island following this morning's 7.1 magnitude quake.

Much of the North Island was shaken awake this morning with a magnitude 7.1 earthquake felt from Northland to Wellington.

People reported feeling moderate to weak shaking from the quake: "We thought there was a truck coming up the driveway."

A light earthquake has struck in the East Coast tonight.

A light earthquake has struck near Christchurch tonight.

Six small earthquakes shook Christchurch yesterday, the final quake hitting shortly before 8pm. Geonet reported a "moderate" 3.7

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In Amatrice, known as the town of "100 churches", at least 15 were destroyed.

High magnitude disasters are overdue along some of the planet's major fault lines and there's nothing we can do to stop them.

Christchurch has been rocked by two earthquakes within an hour of each other.