There are still no reports of significant damage after a deep magnitude-7 quake shook the North Island on Tuesday night.
The long, rumbling quake struck off the Taranaki coast at 10.36pm.
It was centred 60km southwest of Opunake at a depth of 230km, GNS Science said.
It was followed by a smaller aftershock.
The quake was felt across the country, from Bay of Plenty all the way south to Canterbury.
GNS Science seismologist Lara Bland told Radio New Zealand the quake's depth meant its energy travelled efficiently to the surface.
"The result has been that it's been felt very, very widely across central New Zealand areas," she said.
It was the biggest quake to hit the North Island in "a long time", she said.
Taranaki civil defence senior emergency management officer Shane Briggs told NZ Newswire emergency services reported no damage or injuries on Tuesday night as a result of the quake.
He said the situation was monitored overnight.
"It wasn't really a major sort of shake, it was a long, slow rolling, things wobbled around a bit, so there'll probably be small incidental damage," Mr Briggs said.
Waverley resident and Clarendon Hotel owner Cheryl Kent said the quake was the largest and longest she'd ever felt.
She said although the lights were swinging around, nothing fell over and there was no damage or breakages.
Oil company Shell Exploration said there had been no damage to its Maui A and Maui B drilling platforms off the Taranaki coast.
The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has already received two claims following the quake.
EQC spokesman Ian Butler said it's still very early days, but it is almost certain the number of claims will grow.
He said it will be at least a week before EQC will be able to project the number of claims it could expect as a result of the quake.
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