© Kylie Te Moanaui
The giant eagle hanging from the roof of Wellington airport to promote the Hobbit trilogy has fallen down due to the shake.
A "severe'' magnitude 6.2 quake has damaged homes and closed roads in the lower North Island, toppling walls and chimneys and sending rockfalls across roads.
The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.3, struck 10km north of Castlepoint in Wairarapa, at a depth of 33km, at 3.52pm, GeoNet said.
Sara Page, GeoNet public information specialist at GNS Science, said GeoNet had received more than 6000 "felt" reports from the public by 4.30pm, with some reporting damage.
"As expected after a quake of this size, there have been multiple aftershocks, and these will continue for some time as the region settles," she said.
The Wairarapa is no stranger to large earthquakes, with two very damaging magnitude 7 quakes in 1942.
However, the region's last earthquake above magnitude 6 was in 1961.
Damage reports
Fifteen people will not be able to return home tonight after their building in the centre of Masterton was red-stickered as a result of today's earthquake.
Wairarapa area Civil Defence controller Kevin Tunnell said the three-storey Daniels Building on Queen St had sustained unspecified damage in the quake.
It was initially deemed unsafe by the Fire Service and then by Masterton District Council engineers.
Its 15 tenants would not be allowed home for at least tonight and engineers would carry out further inspections tomorrow.
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