Aucklanders were among more than a million Kiwis diving under desks as part of a nationwide earthquake drill this morning. 

Just under 450,000 Aucklanders took part in the drill, with schools and businesses making up the bulk of them.

Auckland Council civil defence spokeswoman Kiri Maxwell said about 450 schools registered for the event, with 200,000 pupils and teachers taking part. 

More than 60,000 people from 800 different businesses and about 65,000 students and staff members from Auckland's tertiary institutions were involved.

Vince Cholewa, from the Civil Defence Ministry, said early indications showed the nationwide ShakeOut drill had been a success, with more than 1.3 million people participating at 9.26am this morning.

Meanwhile, in the shaky city, about 170,000 Wellingtonians registered to take part.

- © Fairfax NZ News