Strong magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes near Taumarunui

Saturday 25 July 2026 · 5 outlets · 4 reports · updated Sat 25 Jul, 12:26pm

In this story GeoNet, Ruapehu District Council

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 5km south-west of Taumarunui at 4.51am on Saturday. The tremor was felt across much of the North Island and parts of the South Island. Seismologists suggest aftershocks may continue for months.

How they headlined it

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5:31am6:30am8:52am12:26pm

1. StuffSat 25 Jul, 5:31am

   Strong 5.9 earthquake strikes near Taumarunui (opens in new tab)

   • ‘Full on’ shaking emptied kitchen shelves onto bench and floor, in ‘truly rocking’ 5.9 quake (opens in new tab) Sat 25 Jul, 12:26pm
2. 1NewsSat 25 Jul, 6:30am

   Aftershocks to continue for months after Taumarunui quake - seismologist (opens in new tab)

3. The Post via Waikato TimesSat 25 Jul, 8:52am

   5.9 quake hits North Island but felt across country (opens in new tab)

   Also on Waikato Times (opens in new tab), The Press (opens in new tab)