A 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck 25 kilometres west of Milford Sound, southwest New Zealand, Geonet said on Thursday.
According to Geonet, the quake occurred at a depth of 5 kilometres (three miles). There has been no further information so far concerning possible casualties or damage.
New Zealand is located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes. On 22 February 2011, the 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand's city of Christchurch, leaving 185 people dead and more than 1,500 injured.