Strong earthquake rattles New Zealand's South Island, tsunami alert lifted
An image showing the epicenter and intensity of the earthquake in New Zealand—GEONET
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
— GeoNet (@geonet) July 16, 2026
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
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.