A earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 struck the South Island this evening, with tremors widely felt across central New Zealand, including Wellington.

According to preliminary data, the quake occurred at 5:39 PM on Tuesday, and was centred 15 kilometres southeast of Seddon at a depth of 15 kilometres.

Reports describe the shaking as strong, with over 5,400 felt reports submitted so far.

Residents in Wellington and surrounding areas reported feeling sharp jolts and rolling tremors.