Five kilometres south east of Ruatoria was the place for earthquakes yesterday, with four striking the Waiapu Valley town near Gisborne.

The first kicked off at 11.05am, registering as a 4.2 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 11 kilometres.

Photo: File.

The second struck not long after at 12.24pm, and showed up as a 4.6 magnitude on the Richter scale at 10 kilometres deep.

The next two, however, were both shallower and weaker.

A 2.3 magnitude rattler at 12.30pm registered some five kilometres below the surface, while a light intensity shake of 3.1 magnitude at 12.47pm was clocked at the same depth.

The location, some five kilometres south-east of Ruatoria, places the earthquakes under the hills between the East Cape township and the sea.