M5.6 earthquake near New Plymouth, Taranaki Region

What happened

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 63 km E of Waitara, New Zealand on 21 Oct 2021, 21:58 UTC at a depth of 224 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is New Plymouth, about 77 km away in Taranaki Region, New Zealand.