UPDATED 3:35PM:

Another quake has struck the lower North Island.

Geonet says the 4.3 magnitude quake struck at 3:10pm this afternoon.

It was located 30 kilometers east of Pongaroa, in the Tararua district, at a depth of 31 kilometers.

A strong 5.1 quake occured earlier this afternoon at around 1:10pm in the lower North Island.

Geonet says that quake had a depth of 25km, and was located 25kms east of Pongaroa, in the Tararua district.

At 1.25pm another quake was registered in the same area, magnitude 3.2.

Sharyn Kjestrup, who lives in Akitio near the epicentre, said the quake caused no damage there.

"It was fine," she said. "We've had worse peviously in the last few months, but it was big enough that everyone had the chance to get under a doorway. The youngest child was quite scared."