Residents of a small community on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island have been told they can return to their homes, after a severe earthquake at sea sparked a tsunami warning.

The 7.1 quake struck 169km (105 miles) north-east of Gisborne on Friday morning local time.

Authorities asked people in the Tolaga Bay area to leave their homes.

Some damage to property has been reported, but no injuries.

The quake caused a tsunami but it has had no noticeable impact, an emergency worker told New Zealand radio.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii tweeted that only a 21cm (8in) wave had been measured.

Local civil defence officials said it was now safe for Gisborne residents to return, but advised them to stay away from beaches, streams and estuaries, saying the tsunami threat had not entirely lifted.

Residents were told to head for high ground or far inland if they felt another strong quake.

The quake occurred at 04:37 local time (16:37 GMT) at a depth of 19km (12 miles), US monitors say, and was followed by a series of large aftershocks.

Residents across North Island said they felt shaking and rattling as the quake struck but there were no immediate reports of serious damage.

In 2011, the city of Christchurch on South Island was devastated by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that left 185 people dead.

Each year more than 15,000 earthquakes are recorded in New Zealand, but only about 150 are large enough to be felt.</s>New Zealand civil defence authorities have ordered the evacuation of several coastal areas over fears that a major 7.1 offshore earthquake could cause a Tsunami.

An initial “potential” warning was raised to a Tsunami after a wave measuring 30cm was generated near the East Cape about 90 minutes after the quake struck on Friday morning.

"The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours," the Civil Defence organisation, responsible for national emergency management, said in a statement, AFP reports.

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The warning covers the East Coast of the North Island and the upper South Island.

The quake hit at at 4:37 am, 103 miles northeast of the city of Gisborne and had a depth of 19.1 miles, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Twitter users in North Island reported being woken up by shaking.

Those living in Gisborne, which has a population of around 45,000, have been told to evacuate to higher ground or go as far inland as possible.

Residents in coastal areas of the East Cape region were also being advised to evacuate by local civil defence officials, Radio New Zealand reported.

New Zealand media reported some power outages in the east coast region.

Civil defence public information officer Sheridan Gundry said the emergency management centre has been activated

Shape Created with Sketch. The biggest earthquakes in the world since 1900 Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The biggest earthquakes in the world since 1900 1/10 Chile 1960 (Magnitude: 9.5) 2010 AFP 2/10 Great Alaska Earthquake 1964 (Magnitude: 9.2) 3/10 Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra 2004 (Magnitude: 9.1) 4/10 Near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan 2011 (Magnitude: 9.0) 2011 IFRC 5/10 Kamchatka 1952 (Magnitude: 9.0) 6/10 Offshore Maule, Chile 2010 (Magnitude: 8.8) 2010 Getty Images 7/10 Off the Coast of Ecuador 1906 (Magnitude: 8.8) 8/10 Rat Islands, Alaska 1965 (Magnitude: 8.7) 9/10 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 2005 (Magnitude: 8.6) 2005 Getty Images 10/10 Assam - Tibet 1950 (Magnitude: 8.6) 1/10 Chile 1960 (Magnitude: 9.5) 2010 AFP 2/10 Great Alaska Earthquake 1964 (Magnitude: 9.2) 3/10 Off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra 2004 (Magnitude: 9.1) 4/10 Near the East Coast of Honshu, Japan 2011 (Magnitude: 9.0) 2011 IFRC 5/10 Kamchatka 1952 (Magnitude: 9.0) 6/10 Offshore Maule, Chile 2010 (Magnitude: 8.8) 2010 Getty Images 7/10 Off the Coast of Ecuador 1906 (Magnitude: 8.8) 8/10 Rat Islands, Alaska 1965 (Magnitude: 8.7) 9/10 Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 2005 (Magnitude: 8.6) 2005 Getty Images 10/10 Assam - Tibet 1950 (Magnitude: 8.6)

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and its scientific advisors were still assessing the severity of the tsunami threat.

The US National Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake did not pose any danger of a tsunami on the Pacific coast of Canada or the United States.

The Chilean Navy also said it did not expect a tsunami on the coast of the South American nation.

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The USGS originally reported the quake as a 7.2 magnitude but later downgraded it to 7.1.

New Zealand is located on the Australasian and Pacific tectonic plates boundary, which form part of the “Ring of Fire” and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.

Additional reporting by Reuters</s>A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of New Zealand – sparking fears of a potential tsunami threat.

The quake was estimated at a depth of around 18 miles off the country's north island, 352 miles northeast of Wellington, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of causalities.

No Pacific-wide tsunami warning has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, but officials in New Zealand said there was a 'potential threat'.

A 'very small' tsunami has already hit the country's northern coast, according to USGS geophysicist John Bellini.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called 'Ring of Fire', and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.

In a series of tweets, New Zealand’s Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management warned people to stay out of the water.

It said: 'There is a potential tsunami threat for New Zealand following the 7m earthquake near Te Araroa at 4.38NZ time today.'

The quake happened just after 5.30pm British time.

It comes around 24 hours after a separate 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of New Zealand's north island.

That quake happened at 10.04am local time on Thursday and its epicentre was near the town of Te Araroa on the east coast of the island.

It had a depth of 25 kilometres and was felt by people north of Te Araroa in Auckland and the Great Barrier Island, the New Zealand Herald reported.

There were no reports of damage or injuries, and no tsunami warnings put in place.</s>New Zealand has been warned a tsunami could strike after a massive earthquake rocked the nation.

The 7.1 magnitude quake hit the coast of the southern hemisphere country in the early hours of Friday morning local time.

There were no immediate reports of injury or damage as the quake hit 105 miles northeast of Gisborne, and had a depth of 19.1 miles.

A short while after the earthquake struck, the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management warned of the potential of a tsunami hitting coastal areas.

It said in a statement on its website: "MCDEM and scientific advisors are in the process of assessing the situation to determine the severity of the threat to New Zealand.

"Meanwhile, people in coastal areas should note that strong tsunami currents and surges are possible.

"Listen to the radio and TV for further assessment and updates."

Twitter users in New Zealand's North Island reported being woken up by shaking.

The quake did not pose any danger of a tsunami on the Pacific coast of Canada or the United States, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said.

The Chilean Navy also said it did not expect a tsunami on the coast of the South American nation.

The USGS originally reported the quake as a 7.2 magnitude but later downgraded it to 7.1.</s>A 5.7-magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of New Zealand's North Island.

The earthquake happened at 10.04am local time on Thursday and its epicentre was near the town of Te Araroa on the east coast of the island.

It had a depth of 25 kilometres and was felt by people north of Te Araroa in Auckland and the Great Barrier Island, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The South Island would also have felt the earthquake as far south as Christchurch, which is more than 1,100 kilometres away from the epicentre.

It was initially recorded as a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, 100km from Te Araroa, before it was upgraded, according to GeoNet.

Following the earthquake, New Zealand's Earthquakes Commission tweeted: 'We hope everyone is okay up on the after that one. Take care of each other and remember the actions - drop, cover and hold.'

There have been no reports of damage or injuries so far, and there are no tsunami warnings in place.

GeoNet seismologist Bill Fry said the earthquake was felt most on the north-east coast.

'The further away from the epicentre the less shaking you feel, so the lower intensity you would have felt,' Mr Fry told Daily Mail Australia.

'By the time it got to shore [the intensity] would not have been severe enough to cause serious damage.'

Mr Fry said the intensity would have been felt at least 500 kilometres away.

'There is a special situation along the eastern coast which means waves travel very efficiently towards Wellington,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We've got a rigid structure, like a string tied between two cups, and because of special situation we get a felt reports from a long, long away.'

Mr Fry added it was 'very unlikely' the earthquake would have been felt in the Great Barrier Reef but he was not on location to confirm reports.</s>A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.1 has struck off the coast of New Zealand, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The quake hit 169km northeast of Gisborne and had a depth of 30km, the USGS said.

Twitter users in New Zealand’s North Island reported being woken up by shaking.

The quake did not pose any danger of a tsunami on the Pacific coast of Canada or the US, the US National Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The Chilean navy also said it did not expect a tsunami on the coast of the South American nation.

The USGS originally reported the quake as of 7.2-magnitude, but later downgraded it to 7.1.</s>Officials in New Zealand have issued a tsunami warning after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the North Island coast.

Residents of Tologa Bay were told to evacuate after the quake hit around 105 miles northeast of Gisborne at a depth of 19.1 miles.

Buildings were rocked by the quake, which happened shortly before 4.40am local time.

Rupert Barrett tweeted: "I woke up to a minor shake and I thought it was gonna end but then it got 3x worse and the whole house started shaking."

Another Twitter user wrote: "We're right on the beach so we're in a tsunami evacuation zone right now.

"Woke up nauseous our whole house was shaking."

There were no immediate reports of any damage to buildings or injuries.</s>Evacuations were under way in New Zealand Friday after a tsunami warning was issued following a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck before dawn off the east coast of the North Island.

An initial "potential" warning was upgraded to a tsunami after a wave measuring 30 centimetres was generated near the sparsely populated East Cape about 90 minutes after the earthquake struck.

"The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours," the Civil Defence organisation, responsible for national emergency management, said in a statement.

The warning covered the East Coast of the North Island and the upper South Island.

The shallow tremor was estimated at a depth of around 30 kilometres (18 miles) off the coast, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was centred 167 kilometres (103 miles) from the nearest main town, Gisborne, which has a population of around 45,000.

Radio New Zealand reported that residents in coastal areas of the East Cape region were being advised by local civil defence officials to evactuate.

Civil defence public information officer Sheridan Gundry said the emergency management centre has been activated.

The earthquake, which struck at 4:37am (1637 GMT) was felt over much of the country but there were no immediate reports of damage.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called "Ring of Fire", and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.</s>The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a strong magnitude-7.1 earthquake about 160 km off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii reports that no tsunami of significant strength is expected.

The quake registered 167 km off the North Island coast in the South Pacific Ocean.

The quake comes a day after a magnitude-5.7 quake registered in the same area, 100 km northeast of Te Araroa on the North Island’s east coast.</s>WELLINGTON: New Zealand issued a “potential” tsunami warning Friday after a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake stuck off the east coast of the North Island.

The shallow tremor was estimated at a depth of around 30 kilometres (18 miles) off the coast, some 167 kilometres from Gisborne, according to the US Geological Survey said.

New Zealand’s civil defence organisation, responsible for the nation’s emergency management, said it had issued “a tsunami potential threat advisory in all New Zealand coastal areas”.

Radio New Zealand reported that residents in coastal areas of the East Cape region were being advised by local civil defence officials to evacuate.

Civil defence public information officer Sheridan Gundry said the emergency management centre has been activated.

The earthquake, which struck at 4:37am (1637 GMT) was felt over much of the country but there were no immediate reports of damage and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a warning.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called “Ring of Fire”, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurs off the north east coast of North Island, New Zealand. A tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake, and waves of 0.3m have been reported near Gisborne.