A series of earthquakes has rattled the Eastern Bay this morning.

One woman, who lives in Whakatane but works in Tauranga, says one woke her at about 5am.

'The house shook and the dog started barking.

'The house was making noise because of the shaking.”

According to GeoNet, an earthquake hit 50km north of Whakatane at 3.47am. It had a magnitude of 2.7.

Another earthquake was recorded around 4.38am.

At 5.04am, a 4.8 magnitude quake hit 45km north of Te Kaha. It had a focal depth of 31km.

Since then, GeoNet has recorded another five earthquakes in the area – all registering from 2-2.8 and with shallow depths.

M4.7 quake causing moderate shaking near Te Kaha https://t.co/YQ3CFemaZQ

— GeoNet (@geonet) October 17, 2018