The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of New Zealand published a memo around 8:45 a.m. local time on Friday announcing an 8.0-magnitude earthquake has prompted additional tsunami warnings.
The USGS registered the Kermadec Islands earthquake around magnitude 8.1.
The NEMA release urged those near the east coast of the North Island and Great Barrier Island to immediately move to "to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible."
"This is the third earthquake this morning," New Zealand officials highlighted.
The first earthquake, which occurred around 2:27 a.m. local time on Friday, was estimated to be around magnitiude 7.3, while the latter quake registered around magnitude 7.4.
"Hope everyone is ok out there - especially on the East Coast who would have felt the full force of that earthquake," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said via Instagram Friday morning.