Strong earthquake rattles New Zealand's South Island, tsunami alert lifted

National emergency management agency advises people to stay away from harbours, marinas and rivers

A magnitude 5.9 ​earthquake struck near the town of Te Anau ‌in New Zealand's South Island, shaking buildings and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning briefly.

The earthquake's epicentre was about 40 ​km (25 miles) north of Te Anau, the gateway to the tourist hotspot of Fiordland, according to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). There ​were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

A late night shake for much of the South Island and parts of the North Island with a M6.3 quake. We received over 20,000 felt reports: https://t.co/NYykoT1TXP
Remember to Drop, Cover and Hold if you feel shaking, and know your tsunami evacuation route if you live near the coast. pic.twitter.com/ZTcmCRLYke

— GeoNet (@geonet) July 16, 2026

The agency initially ​assessed the quake, which struck at 9.14pm local time (0914 GMT), at magnitude 6.3 before revising it downward to 5.9.

Although the tsunami alert ​was cancelled, NEMA said it expected coastal areas to ​experience "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore".

It said people ‌should ⁠move out of the water, off beaches, and stay away from harbours, marinas and rivers.

Resident Maylene Puyat, the duty manager at Te Anau's Fiordland Hotel, told ​Reuters the earthquake was "a ⁠bit strong" and she felt shaking for one minute. "In the hotel, it's shaking, but ​nothing moved in the hotel," she said.

Another resident ​told ⁠the local outlet Otago Daily Times that the earthquake shaking was "long and loud" and sounded "like a train". "The walls were definitely moving," ⁠they ​said.

There were more than 18,000 "felt reports" ​to the hazard monitoring system GeoNet.