Strong 4.8 earthquake shakes southern Hawke's Bay

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck late on Sunday night in southeastern Hawke's Bay, about 5km from Pōrangahau.

It had a shallow depth of 16km and is considered a strong quake by GNS Science.

The GeoNet website showed more than 2000 people across the central and lower North Island reported feeling the shake about 11.20pm.

There were eight aftershocks between 12.05am and 4.05, the strongest being a magnitude 3.3 quake just before 3am.

On Sunday a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central New Zealand. A person in the Wellington suburb of Ōwhiro Bay said it was "a mean jolt, like a truck hitting the house".

Further from the epicentre, in Whanganui, another listener experienced "fine trembling as lead in, then rocking with window sash weights noisy in old two-storey wooden home".

Wellington Region Emergency Management Office regional manager Jeremy Holmes called it a "significant shake for the capital" but with no significant impacts.

A large Wellington apartment building was evacuated on Sunday evening and the area cordoned off due to concerns about structural damage following an earthquake.

Just after midnight, the spokesperson said the building had been assessed by Fire and Emergency New Zealand as safe to re-enter. The 16-storey building has 123 apartments, as well as retail and commercial offices on the lower four floors.