UPDATED 10.58am: A double shake for Wellington and the top of the South Island.

The first was magnitude 4.3 and it was followed by a 5.2.

Both quakes were 24 kilometres deep.

Wellington

Katrina Bennett reports Wellingtonians felt a light quake just after 10.30am.

"That was about 4.4, just located near Seddon.

"But then another followed not too long after that one and that one was quite strong. The building here did shake and swayed. A lot of people stopped their work and looked up because everyone here did feel it.

"That one there was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake, so that one was much stronger and again at the same location near Seddon."

Both were centred on Seddon in Marlborough.

Kapiti and Hutt Valley

Callers from Levin and the Hutt Valley say they felt two earthquakes.

"We just had a lovely little shake," said one caller.

"We had two. We had one at 10.36am and one at 10.42am. One up in Upper Hutt and we felt it up the valley."

Seddon

Andy, who works at Tractor Repairs and Spares in Seddon, says the quake wasn't too severe.

"Just a short sharp jolt really, which we hadn't felt for some months, so we all sort-of looked at one another and said,' oh, here they come again.'

"Nah, just a short sharp jolt and it was all over."