Strong earthquake shakes New Zealand

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A strong earthquake shook northern New Zealand on Wednesday night, with tens of thousands of people on both of its main islands reporting having felt the natural phenomenon.

The temblor hit the Cook Strait off the coast of the capital Wellington at 7:38 p.m. local time, the U.S. Geological Survey said, adding it was at a depth of 46 miles.

The USGS said it was a 5.7 magnitude strike while its New Zealand counterpart, GeoNet, registered it as a magnitude 6.1.

The earthquake "caused a long and strong shake felt widely across the North Island and Marlborough region," GeoNet tweeted.

"Remember, drop, cover, hold in the event of aftershocks," it said.

More than 61,000 people reported experiencing the temblor, GeoNet said, explaining that the depth it hit means "it was felt more widely and strongly."

A second earthquake, this one a magnitude 4.0, was registered at 8 p.m. near Taumarunui, which is about 227 miles north of Wellington.

No tsunami warning has been issued.

The earthquakes hit as New Zealand combats the effects of a cyclone that wreaked havoc on the North Island this week.

On Tuesday, the country declared a National State of Emergency for only the third time in its history.

"It is already a really stressful time for people -- look after yourself and the people around you," the New Zealand Civil Defence said in a statement on Facebook.