A strong earthquake has struck New Zealand's South Island with reports of "violent shaking" in buildings.
The quake hit at 15:36 pm (03:36 GMT) with its epicentre about 66km (41 miles) from the town of Kaikoura.
The US Geological Survey said it was a 5.9 magnitude quake. New Zealand's GeoNet said it was 6.2 magnitude at a depth of 52km.
Residents as far off as Christchurch and Wellington felt the quake but no serious damage is expected.
A store owner in St Arnaud told New Zealand's Stuff news agency that the shock was "very very frightening".
"It started shaking and we just waited. It became very violent so we ran outside," said Sandy Pearce, adding that much of the stock fell off the shelves.
