A Lake Rotoma resident thought her "whole house was going to fall down" during this morning's swarm of earthquakes felt throughout the Bay of Plenty.
The largest earthquake at 8.12am measured 4.9 on the Richter Scale and struck at a depth of 5km, 20km east of Rotorua.
The resident, who asked not to be named, said the contents of her pantry fell to the ground, ornaments in her china cabinet fell over and the sewerage pipe under her house was presumed to be cracked.
"I heard a rolling rumble then everything started shaking very, very strongly."
— GeoNet (@geonet) January 25, 2021
She had been in the shower at the time the biggest one hit and she said she was holding on to the shower frame and bracing her feet against the sides.
"I thought the whole house was going to fall down and I'd be naked."
She said she had lodged a claim with the Earthquake Commission and been in contact with plumbing companies.
"I just can't believe it."
Chatter among the lake communities east of Rotorua was that of disbelief as many felt the quakes stronger than the rest of the city, she said.
"One of my neighbour's puppies jumped the fence and hasn't come back."
She said there had been loads of strong aftershocks and it was the biggest they had experienced there since 2004.
"I'm so surprised that nothing in my house was broken."
More than 68 shakes were recorded during the swarm of earthquakes this morning.
The largest earthquake at 8.12am measured 4.9 on the Richter Scale and struck at a depth of 5km, 20km east of Rotorua.
At 7.57am a quake measuring 4.5 struck at a depth of 8km, 20km east of Rotorua.
— james dyson (@jamesdyson22) January 24, 2021
At 8.01am a 3.7 struck 15km east of the city at a depth of 17km. Several smaller quakes have been recorded since.
A Facebook post from Bay of Plenty Civil Defence said there was no damage reported.
"Lots of people are wondering if there is anything more to report on this morning's swarm of earthquakes," it said.
"Basically, lots of people felt them and there was a lot of swaying, but at this stage we are not aware of any damage. Some things are still being checked as a precaution, especially because they were such shallow quakes.
"Things like this are always a reminder to be aware of the two key phrases when it comes to quakes: drop, cover, hold and if you're coastal and a quake is long or strong, get gone (don't wait for warnings)," the post said.
A statement from GeoNet said the swarm of shallow earthquakes had occurred in the Okataina Volcanic Centre, the largest widely felt across the upper North Island with more than 5200 felt reports.
"We've recorded over 68 events since 7.47 am this morning ranging in size from M2 to M4.9. Okataina Volcanic Centre lies east of Rotorua and is one of two active caldera volcanoes in the Taupō Volcanic Zone."
The statement said earthquake swarms were common in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, especially in the area between Rotorua and Taupō, which is tectonically active.
"The last swarm with quakes of this size within the caldera was in July 2004, located just north near Lake Rotoehu and before that in 1998 just to the south of today's sequence."
GNS Science volcanologist Brad Scott said the 1998 swarm lasted for a month, while the 2004 sequence lasted just over three weeks.
"There is always a chance of a larger earthquake or further earthquakes occurring in the Taupō Volcanic Zone," he said.
"Remember to drop, cover and hold in the event of a quake, and follow advice from regional Civil Defence or NEMA."
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokeswoman said the council had not received any reports of damage to buildings so far - council or privately owned - however, the Rotorua Museum and Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre were being checked for damage.
"There is also no known or reported material damage to infrastructure, or disruptions to core services, but staff will be running checks and investigating anything that needs closer inspection," she said.
"We are currently working with engineers to assess the Rotorua Museum and Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre."
Rotorua Museum has been closed since November 2016 when damage was discovered following the Kaikoura earthquake. The Sir Howard Morrison Centre closed in November 2017 following a seismic assessment that identified the building as earthquake prone.
People have reported feeling the quakes around the Bay of Plenty including in Kawerau and Tauranga.
— Jen Jen (@glibnotion) January 24, 2021
On social media one described the earthquake as "a big roll in Edgecumbe". Another said "the house was rocking".
Others in Tauranga said their beds and houses were shaking.
A Te Puke Facebook user said: "I felt it sitting at the table, my things started swaying and my door was moving like I was on a boat."
Another said their Rotorua house "rocked for several seconds".
GeoNet said it had more than 4000 reports of people feeling the quakes.
GeoNet said the quakes looked to be part of a swarm often seen in the Okataina Volcanic Centre with small "foreshocks" recorded yesterday.
— GeoNet (@geonet) January 24, 2021
Capers Cafe and Store marketing manager Philly Angus said the earthquakes were the talk of the town with customers and staff chatting about it all morning.
She said no coffee or food was spilled as waitresses moved across the rumbling floors, which was a positive as nothing was wasted. They were tossing up whether to move customers away from windows but did not need too, she said.
Zippy Central Bar & Cafe worker Monica Harvey had a "chaotic" morning as she had to dive to save deer antlers that fell off her wall at home and almost "squished" her dog.
"I saved everyone from the antlers," she said with a laugh.
She had been at home when it happened and was "freaking out" with her baby, she said. She said there had been "a little bit of panic" in the cafe but no dishes or anything was smashed.
A worker at Scope Cafe said they were not impacted as the shake happened quite early in the morning.
She said there had been "a bit of buzz about" but things were "all good".
