Magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles both New Zealand islands

By OLIVIA DAY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 21:20 GMT, 20 March 2025 | Updated: 21:36 GMT, 20 March 2025

Both New Zealand’s North and South Islands have been rocked by an earthquake. 

The magnitude 4.8 quake struck at 8.24am local time (6.24am AEDT) at a depth of 9km and was centered 10km south of Seddon, on the South Island. 

Over 1,200 people reported feeling the early morning earthquake. 

Tremors were felt as far south as Rakaia and as far north as Palmerston North.

Residents in Witherlea, Redwoodtown and Blenheim in Marlborough and Karori and Te Aro in Wellington reported feeling shakes. 

It comes just weeks after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck another of Australia’s neighbours, about 620km off the coast of Sumatra, in western Indonesia.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 10km at 11.30am local time on February 7.

It came two decades after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami which struck 242km north of Sumatra’s coast.

The magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck at 8.24am local time (6.24am AEDT) at a depth of 9km and was centered 10km south of Seddon, on the South Island

Over 1,200 people reported feeling the early morning quake (pictured in a GeoNet map)

It struck at a depth of 41km on December 26, 2004.

At the time tsunami waves topping 30metres were reported to have hit the coast of Indonesia in an incident dubbed the Boxing Day Tsunami.

It was one of the deadliest disasters in modern history with more than 200,000 people across 14 countries dying as a result. 

Earlier in January another two earthquakes rocked the coast of Western Australia within five hours on January 8.

The first 2.9 magnitude earthquake struck Port Hedland, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, at 8.44am on Wednesday.

A second 2.8 magnitude tremor was recorded off the coast at 1.20pm. The aftershocks were felt as far as Marble Bar, 200km south of Port Hedland.

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Magnitude 4.8 earthquake rattles both New Zealand islands

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