The three earthquakes that struck off the North Island’s east coast were felt more widely because of the way they ruptured, says a seismologist.

The temblors between 8pm and 8.43pm off the Bay of Plenty yesterday were felt by thousands, some as far away as Northland, and varied between magnitude 2.7 and 5.6.

The first and largest hit 135km north of Te Kaha at 8pm at a depth of 5km.

About 70 small aftershocks have followed but nothing has suggested larger tremors are on the way.

Earth Sciences New Zealand seismic duty officer Katie Jacobs told the Herald an earthquake’s energy spreads out in different ways depending on how it ruptures.

“This one [5.7] obviously spread out very evenly, so most people along the Bay of Plenty coast, from and even up to Auckland and Northland, all felt it.”

Three low-intensity earthquakes struck off the east coast of the North Island yesterday. Photo / Earth Sciences New Zealand

An earthquake 25km west of Te Araroa in the Gisborne District on Monday was not as widely felt, “so it may have had energy that was more directional and went away from population centres”, said Jacobs.

She said the dozens of small aftershocks recorded since yesterday’s earthquakes had followed typical patterns seen in the region in the past.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in a similar area, 115km north-east of Whangamatā, in August 2020.

Although more tremors are possible, Jacobs said nothing particular about yesterday’s trio suggested “more shaking or larger shaking is on the way”.

The shocks were not caused by anything unusual, but rather by the “regular tectonic processes in New Zealand”.

Where the shocks were felt

Thousands of people reported feeling yesterday’s earthquakes along the east coast of the North Island.

The first shake was felt by about 2000 people across the northeast coast of the North Island, including residents in Matua, Aongatete, Te Puna, Ōtūmoetai and Whitianga, according to GeoNet.

It was followed by a magnitude 4.2 tremor about five minutes later, this time 110km northwest of Te Kaha at a depth of 33km. The second quake was felt by about 1000 people.

A third 2.7 quake struck 5km south of Te Araroa, at 8.43pm.

Far away from the largest earthquake’s centre, Chrissie Anderson in Leigh, north of Auckland, said she and her neighbour both felt it.

Shelly Leversedge was sitting on her La-Z-Boy in Whangamatā when she started shaking.

“I said to my husband, ‘I’m shaking, I think it’s an earthquake’, he looked up from his book and saw that the pot plant on the coffee table was shaking. It lasted a good half minute.”

Michelle Grigg in Pakūranga, Auckland, said it felt like a “huge truck rumbling by”.