A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck at approximately 8pm, centred around 135km north of Te Kaha at a shallow depth of 5km, according to GeoNet recordings.
Five minutes on, at 8:05pm, a second quake hit. Measuring magnitude 4.2, it originated considerably deeper at 33km and was positioned 110km north-west of Te Kaka.
A third event rounded out the sequence at 8:28pm, again shallow at 5km depth, registering a magnitude of 2.7.
— GeoNet (@geonet) May 5, 2026
By Tuesday evening, 1,958 people across Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty had reported feeling the first quake, with most rating the shaking as 'weak' or 'light.' A further 1,083 people reported feeling the second quake, which was rated similarly mild, while the third event was logged by just 86 people.
