© Screenshot / GeoNetA 5.1 magnitude earthquake has struck 50km north of the Pelorus Sound.
The "light" quake was centred at sea about 50km north of French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds at a depth of 80km, GeoNet said.
A nearby resident told RNZ they felt light shaking and creaking.
And GeoNet are also reporting a series of weak magnitude-3 quakes north west of Te Araroa on the East Cape of Gisborne this morning.
The area has been experiencing continued aftershocks following a large magnitude 7.1 tremor on 2 September.
Comment: A couple of days ago a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck south of New Zealand near the Macquarie Islands.