An early morning 4.7-magnitude earthquake has rattled the Kaikoura region but woken only a few people.

The "moderate" earthquake, 5km northwest of the coastal town and 9km deep, happened just after 5am on Thursday, Geonet says.

However, just 192 people reported feeling the quake, the bulk of them saying it felt light or weak .

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was also felt in the lower North Island on Thursday morning.

The quake hit 35km southwest of Whanganui at a depth of 36km at 2am and Geonet says it was light. light.ys it was light.ys it was light.