Deep 5.3 magnitude earthquake near Whakatāne felt widely across the North Island

A deep earthquake near Whakatāne in Bay of Plenty at 7.15am has been felt widely across the North Island.

The 5.3 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 133 kilometres, north-west of the Bay of Plenty town.

GeoNet describes the shaking caused by the quake as "light".

As of 7.40am, 1290 people reported feeling the shake on the GeoNet site, including people as far away as Auckland and Wellington.