Moderate 4.9 quake widely felt in New Zealand’s central North Island

Thousands of people have reported feeling a moderate 4.9 earthquake near Waipukurau in Hawke's Bay.

Geonet says the quake was centred 5km north of the town at a depth of 36km.

It occurred just before 5pm (local time).

Within 15 minutes more than 6000 people had registered their ratings of the quake on the Geonet website.