More aftershocks expected for Wellington

Brace yourself Wellington - you could be in for a few more rattles over the next week with earthquake aftershocks.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we had a few more over the next few days," says GNS science spokesman Kevin Fenaughty - the Geonet data centre manager who monitors quakes.

The capital was hit by a 5.2 magnitude quake at 2.10 am today. It was centred 20km south of Wellington and GNS has now adjusted earlier reports of its depth, saying it was around 36km below the surface.

It was followed by a 4.3 aftershock at 3.52am.

Mr Fenaughty says it is not unusual for several aftershocks to follow, spanned out over as much as a week. Aftershocks are normally a magnitude lower than the initial quake so residents should expect to be shaken up with a few more in the 4.0 range.

GNS said the first earthquake was felt from the Kapiti Coast to the top of the South Island.

Police were inundated by 111 calls from people wanting more information on the quake but had no reports of damage, a central police communications spokesman said.

"It is just part of the normal pattern of earthquakes in Wellington," says Mr Frenaugthy. "We are having just as many as we ever were."

He says on average there are 20 earthquakes a year in Wellington that people might feel. Around the whole country there are around 300 to 400 a year big enough to be felt.

There are thousands in Wellington alone that are picked up on GNS equipment.

The strength of quakes varies and a 5.2 is not unusual for New Zealand.

In 2005 there was a 5.6 focused on Upper Hutt shortly before 8am.

The biggest quake in the country this year was a 7.8 in Fiordland in July.

The biggest one ever recorded was an 8.5 quake in the Wairarapa in 1855.

Mr Frenaughty also says this is unlikely to be precursor to the "big one." 

* Did you feel the earthquake? Was there any damage to your home? Share your experiences in our comments section below.

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