Three earthquakes, felt by thousands, struck off the East Coast of the North Island within minutes of each other Tuesday evening. 

The first shake, measuring magnitude 5.6, struck 135km north of Te Kaha at 8pm at a depth of 5km.

It was felt by about 2000 people across the northeast coast of the North Island, including residents in Matua, Aongatete, Te Puna, Ōtūmoetai and Whitianga, according to GeoNet.

It was followed by a magnitude 4.2 tremor about five minutes later, this time 110km northwest of Te Kaha at a depth of 33km. The second quake was felt by about 1000 people.

Both quakes were described as “weak” by GeoNet.

Residents in the Coromandel and western Bay of Plenty regions flocked to Facebook to report their experiences.

Two initial earthquakes struck within minutes of each other north of Te Kaha. Photo / Geonet

In Bethlehem, one social media user said their dog “ran out barking” as the shaking hit, with blind cords and lamp shades moving inside.

In Paeroa, one person said their husband thought it was the washing machine “spinning out of control”.

Multiple people compared the feeling to a large truck rumbling past. Another commenter said they felt “stationary wobbles” while sitting in their van.

However, in Morrinsville, one person said they were sitting on the floor and “never felt a thing”, adding they felt “a bit robbed”.

After the first two quakes, a third struck at 8.43pm.

This latest quake, initially reported as a magnitude 4.8, has been downgraded to a magnitude 2.7 quake 5km south of Te Araroa.

“It just did it again,” one person wrote on a Coromandel community page, with another commenter describing the third quake as a “big jolt”.