People in New Zealand were advised to stay away from the shore after an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of South Island on Tuesday.
The quake struck at a depth of 33km off the southwest coast of the island’s Fiordland national park, and about 160km northwest of Snares Islands, at 2.43pm local time. Though officials issued a “tsunami advisory”, it said no evacuation orders were necessary unless directed by local authorities.
The notice issued by the National Emergency Management Agency warned people to move off boats and keep out of the water, while adding that “coastal inundation (flooding of land areas near the shore) is not expected as a result of this event”.
It said remote parts of Fiordland's coast were the most likely to be affected. "Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people. There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore," the agency warned.
"People in or near the sea in the following areas should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries.
No #tsunami threat to Australia from magnitude 6.6 #earthquake near OFF WEST COAST OF SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND. Latest advice at https://t.co/Tynv3ZQpEq. pic.twitter.com/VT7Eil62YX
— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) March 25, 2025
"People on boats, live-aboards and at marinas should leave their boats/vessels and move onto shore. Do not return to boats unless instructed by officials."
The areas under threat cover the west coast of South Island, from Milford Sound to Puysegur Point.
There was no threat of a tsunami to Southland's coast, said Emergency Management Southland civil defence controller Aly Curd.
An Emergency Mobile Alert has been issued for the bottom of the South Island. Evacuations are NOT required but there is potential danger near the shoreline. We are asking people to stay away from the beach and water. Strong and unusual currents may be experienced.
— Mark Mitchell (@MarkMitchellMP) March 25, 2025
Australia's national weather bureau also confirmed that there was no tsunami threat to the mainland, islands or territories.
Thousands of people in New Zealand reported feeling the earthquake. "We had things fall off shelf. The outdoor wooden table dancing," a user posted on Facebook, according to the New Zealand Herald.
“Students were evacuated to a field and clearing area and we were required to walk to the old hospital where buses would come in due course,” a Te Waewae Bay local teaching in Riverton told the outlet. “A few of us are at the pub sharing stories.”
Tuatapere Four Square owner Mark Hewton said the earthquake hit suddenly. "It was a very soft rolling earthquake. It wasn't aggressive. It wasn't enough to cause any damage that I'm aware of," he told RNZ News.
"All the staff felt it and it was definitely enough to make you stop what you were doing and make you think about getting under a door or something.
"We haven't felt one like that for quite a wee while."
New Zealand lies on the seismically active "Ring of Fire", a 40,000-km arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches girdling much of the Pacific Ocean.
Experts said the earthquake struck a region where we only have limited scientific understanding but which carries a significant tsunami risk. It occurred near the Puysegur Trench, a tectonic plate boundary where the Australian plate descends beneath the Pacific plate.
This boundary extends over 800km southward from South Island into the remote Southern Ocean, about 400km west of the Auckland Islands.
“There is still much we don’t know about this area,” seismologist Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp told the New Zealand Herald. Researchers from Victoria University, including his colleagues, have been studying the region. “Compared to other areas, it has received far less scientific attention, leaving uncertainties about its tectonic behaviour – yet it has produced some of our most powerful earthquakes.”
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