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Hawke's Bay couple 'woken by violent shaking' as 6.4 earthquake rattles Puerto Rico

A Hawke's Bay couple on holiday in Puerto Rico were shaken awake by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake today, then hit again by another 5.8 rattle shortly afterwards.

Rachel Kreegher told 1 NEWS she and her partner Rebecca Tegg were staying at a hotel near San Juan Airport.

"We were woken by violent shaking and it almost threw us out of bed," she said. "It lasted quite a while."

Authorities have confirmed one man has died, and at least eight other people were injured. Buildings collapsed in the southern part of the island.

The quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, part of a 10-day series of temblors spawned by the grinding of tectonic plates along three faults beneath southern Puerto Rico. 

Power went out in the region after the early morning shakes, and while a generator kicked in, some hallways were still dark and restaurants closed, Ms Kreegher said.

Power plants shut down to protect themselves, but authorities said two plants suffered light damage. They expected power to be restored later today.

There were also alarms and tsunami warnings put out.

The Kiwi received a phone call from the NZ Embassy to check they were okay after the first major quake, then travelled to Vieques - an island in Puerto Rico.

Power was out on the island too, but the vibe was "pretty relaxed", Ms Kreegher said, although those on the island didn't feel the brunt of the jolt.

"Excuse the pun, but we're feeling pretty shaken," Ms Kreegher said.

The pair had experienced smaller earthquakes in New Zealand, but Ms Kreegher said "we've never experienced anything like that before".

The couple are on a five week holiday, starting in New Orleans for Christmas, Cuba for New Years, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and will then travel to Martinique for a two week cruise around the eastern Caribbean

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