New Zealand has been rocked by a magnitude 7.4 quake that struck off the country's coastline.
Thousands of Kiwis reported feeling the quake, and some residents on the country's eastern coastline were ordered to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution.
At 7.4 on the Richter scale it means the quake is in the top five strongest so far this year, though there's no reports of damage.
Emergency authorities monitoring for any signs of tsunami have now said there is no threat and anyone who evacuated can return home.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck north-east of New Zealand, with thousands of residents woken by terrifying shaking.
The quake hit at sea at a depth of about 33 kilometres (20 miles), south of the Kermadec Islands, at just after 1am local time on Friday.
A warning of hazardous tsunami waves within 300km (186 miles) of the epicentre was issued within minutes. However, the alert was later downgraded with no tsunami threat for New Zealand or Australia.
Another said: 'Felt it here in Napier, went on for quite a few seconds, I still remember that first quake in Christchurch Sept 4 2010 a 7.1 it was horrible, but glad this one wasn't on land.'
Russell Walker, also from Christchurch, said: 'It felt like I was on a boat.'
National Emergency Management Agency warned coastal areas may experience strong and unusual currents, with unpredictable surges on the shore.
Close to 9,000 people felt the earthquake, according to GeoNet, with many reporting weak to moderate shaking.
The quake comes just days after another was felt off the Bay of Plenty about 5.30am on Tuesday.
The 5.1 magnitude quake was 10 kilometres south-west of Te Kaha with a depth of 28 kilometres.
A further three small earthquakes followed that day with the magnitude between 2.9 to 5.1.
Thousands of Kiwis reported feeling the quake, and some residents on the country's eastern coastline were ordered to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution.
At 7.4 on the Richter scale it means the quake is in the top five strongest so far this year, though there's no reports of damage.
Kiwis on Twitter described being awoken by the 'gentle' and slow moving quake shortly before 1am.
Emergency authorities monitoring for any signs of tsunami have now said there is no threat and anyone who evacuated can return home.
New Zealand's hazards monitor GeoNet described the shaking as 'weak.'
The quake struck near the Kermadec Islands, about 710km off Gisborne, on the east coast of the North Island.
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