A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island.
The quake struck at a depth of 30 kilometres just after 4pm local time today and was felt from Kaitaia to Dunedin, with people near the epicentre feeling a massive jolt.
Its epicentre is believed to be about 30km south-west of Seddon, in South Marlborough.
Seddon residents Terry and Karen Renner said they heard the earthquake before they felt it.International flights are touching down across most of Australia's major cities today with heartwarming reunions bringing tears of joy to families and loved ones.
Among the touching get-togethers are newly engaged couples who have spent close to two years apart, grandparents who have finally been able to hug their grandchildren and even friends who have put lifechanging occasions such as weddings on hold multiple times just so those important to them could attend.
Sydneysider Jodie told 9News she had put her wedding on hold four times, all so her friend from LA could fly in to be a part of the special day.
"The fact you guys opened up literally three days before the wedding is unbelievable," Jodie's friend told 9News after hugging her.
In more happy news at Adelaide Airport, a couple who left each other as boyfriend and girlfriend two years ago were finally able to embrace each other as fiancés when one of the overseas flights landed in SA this morning.
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This is a news collection page about earthquakes, including latest alerts from around the world, videos, pictures and eyewitness accounts. The biggest, most recent earthquake took place in Lombok, in Indonesia, which left hundreds dead. Earthquakes also frequently take place in Australia but tend to only measure a magnitude of three or four and rarely cause any damage. The largest earthquake recorded on record is generally regarded to be the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960, which was measured at 9.5 and left around 1600 people dead and around two million people homeless. Get latest information about earthquakes today and breaking news headlines.
Residents 'heard a massive bang' as earthquake strikes NZ
The quake struck at a depth of 30-kilometres just after 4pm local time today and was felt from Kaitaia to Dunedin, with people near the epicentre feeling a massive jolt.NZ has been struck by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake. (GeoNet)
The Renners have lived through lots of major quakes, with Seddon being on a fault line that ran up the Awatere Valley.
clubroom
That included the 2013 Seddon earthquake and the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, both causing damage to the house that needed repairs.
"Well we thought it couldn't have been too big. Normally if there's a big one people all come outside their houses, gather on the street, in the township. We all make sure our neighbours are OK."
Mr Renner was off to check for damage at the rugby clubrooms.
This story originally appeared on Stuff and has been reproduced with permission.
An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
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