The quake struck at 2.10pm.
The north-east of the South Island is still recovering from last November's 7.8 magnitude thumper, a complex series of quakes that struck across several fault lines.
Those in the quake zone quickly took to Twitter to share their experience of the latest tremor.
Shannon Cooper described feeling "seasick".
Jay Harvie wrote, "that one made me dizzy".
"I thought I was losing my mind then."
A police spokeswoman said they had not had any reports of damage or injury following the quake.
- This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.