Officials in New Zealand have issued a tsunami warning after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the North Island coast.
People living on the coast near Gisborne were told to evacuate, get to higher ground or go as far inland.
The quake struck around 105 miles northeast of the town at a depth of 19.1 miles.
Buildings were rocked by the tremors, after it hit shortly before 4.40am local time.
Rupert Barrett tweeted: "I woke up to a minor shake and I thought it was gonna end but then it got 3x worse and the whole house started shaking."
Another Twitter user wrote: "We're right on the beach so we're in a tsunami evacuation zone right now.
"Woke up nauseous our whole house was shaking."
The disaster management authority issued an advisory of a potential tsunami threat in coastal areas.
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and its scientific advisors are still assessing the severity of the tsunami threat.
But the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center and the Chilean Navy said there was no danger of a tsunami on the Pacific coasts of the Americas.
New Zealand media reported some power outages in the east coast region.
There were no immediate reports of any damage to buildings or injuries.
MORE ABOUT