A magnitude 5.4 earthquake has struck off the North Island’s east coast this morning.

The quake struck at 8.33am in an area of ocean 65km north of Te Kaha.

Within minutes of the quake striking around 1000 people have registered feeling the tremor.

Geonet said the quake was 107km deep.

It reported the shaking as light.

Most of those who reported feeling the tremor are around the Bay of Plenty, particularly in the eastern part of the region in places like Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki.

Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and the East Cape have also seen a sizable number of people reporting the shake.

The earthquake could be felt as south as Wellington and as far north as Tauranga, with one person in north Auckland also reporting weak shaking.