A moderate magnitude-5.1 earthquake has shaken the centre of the country.
GeoNet said the quake was centred 30km north east of Seddon at a depth of 17km.
MetLink Wellington said all its trains had temporarily stopped due to the earthquake.
In a tweet from its social media account a few minutes ago, it said people should expect some delays and they would continue to update people.
The quake was widely felt from the top of the South Island to the lower North Island, with some reports further north.
The best thing about earthquakes is when my terrified manager sprints out of the office like it's on fire #Wellington #EQNZ
— Brad (@bradleyzimmer) September 20, 2017
Well that got me under the desk with safety helmet on #eqnz
— Rebecca McMillan (@po_mo) September 20, 2017
Felt that #eqnz in Te Papa. Wibble wobble wibble wobble, jelly on a plate
— Michelle! (@fishandswallow) September 20, 2017
Was seriously debating getting under my desk #eqnz
— Tahetoka - Amber (@amscraig) September 20, 2017
A resident of Ward in south Marlborough said this afternoon's earthquake did little more than rattle their old wooden home.
Pip Thomson said they were used to shakes after last November's massive 7.8 quake, and this seemed to be part of the pattern.
"I was sitting on the sofa doing some mending of some farm clothes and there was a gentle rock. I wasn't disturbed or anything, I just looked at the verandah poles and watched our 110-year-old house sway around."
Earlier today a 5.8-magnitude hit 585km south of Invercargill, at a depth of 33km, but there were few reports of any shaking.
