An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale rocked central New Zealand early Monday but was deep and centred off shore, and there were no immediate reports of injury or damage. The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences said the focal point of the quake was 160 kilometres northwest of the capital Wellington and 150 kilometres below the surface. It originally gave 6.1 as the magnitude but upgraded it after receiving further data from seismographs stationed around the country. The quake was felt throughout the lower part of the North Island and the top of the South Island. The institute records about 14,000 earthquakes annually in and around New Zealand. Most are small, but up to 150 are big enough to be felt.
