Geonet reported it struck 15km east of Picton at 3.58pm, at a depth of 35km, and measured magnitude 4.9. This was an upgrade from its initial estimate of magnitude 4.8.
Shaking could be felt in Wellington.
More than 13,000 people reported feeling it within 10 minutes of it striking. Most reports were from the top of the South Island and on the west coast of the North Island, from Wellington to Taranaki.
"Ugh, stop it, ground! We're frazzled enough without the bang-shaky under us," one person wrote on social media site Bluesky.
"Heard that one coming, ugh," said another.
"Crikey. That was a biggie Wellington. Everyone ok?" Labour MP for Nelson Rachel Boyack wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Omg that was a good one! Strong winds so felt like the wind was shaking the house," said another X user.
"Big shake at the World Famous Bucket Fountain!" an account dedicated to the Cuba St landmark wrote.
