WELLINGTON: New Zealand issued a “potential” tsunami threat on September 2 after a powerful 7.1 magnitude struck off the east coast of the North Island.
The country’s civil defense organization said it had issued “a tsunami potential threat advisory in all New Zealand coastal areas”.
Radio New Zealand reported residents in coastal areas near the East Cape district were advised by the local civil defense to evacuate.
Evacuations were under way as the earthquake struck before dawn.
However, the tsunami warning was called off later.
An initial “potential” warning was upgraded to a tsunami after a wave measuring 30 centimeters was generated near the sparsely populated East Cape about 90 minutes after the earthquake struck.
“The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours,” the Civil Defense organization, responsible for national emergency management, said in a statement.
The warning covered the East Coast of the North Island and the upper South Island, report agencies.
The shallow tremor was estimated at a depth of around 30 kilometers (18 miles) off the coast, according to the US Geological Survey.
It was centered 167 kilometers (103 miles) from the nearest main town, Gisborne, which has a population of around 45,000.
The earthquake, which struck at 4:37am (1637 GMT) was felt over much of the country but there were no immediate reports of damage.
New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called “Ring of Fire”, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.