A trio of earthquakes struck the North Island on May 5, 2026. The first earthquake registered a magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at 8:00 PM, located 135 kilometers north of Te Kaha.
Key facts:
- The first earthquake was recorded at a depth of 5 kilometers.
- Over 2,000 felt reports were received for the initial quake.
- A second earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 followed at 8:05 PM, recorded at a depth of 33 kilometers.
- The third earthquake occurred at 8:28 PM and registered a magnitude of 2.7, with a depth of 5 kilometers.
- The first quake was felt across Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, and Bay of Plenty.
- A total of 1,083 people reported feeling the second quake, while only 86 felt the third.
- Most people rated the shaking from the first quake as ‘weak’ or ‘light.’
GeoNet confirmed that the first quake was felt across a wide area, including significant urban centers. The second quake prompted over a thousand reports as well but was similarly rated as weak by those who experienced it.
Officials have not confirmed any significant damage resulting from these seismic events. Based on preliminary seismic data provided by VolcanoDiscovery, it appears that the quakes caused only light vibrations in areas near the epicenter.
