Another major earthquake occurred off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island last night. This is reported by the American Geophysical Institute (USGS).

This is the third major shock that occurred within six hours, hundreds of kilometres from the coast. The third reached 8.1 on the Richter scale. Previously there was a shock of 7.4 and 7.1.

New Zealand authorities have withdrawn an evacuation order issued after the series of earthquakes on the night from Thursday to Friday. The tsunami threat level has been revised downwards now that the highest waves have passed, authorities say.

Residents of certain areas in the Pacific, including northern New Zealand, were warned about high waves last night. According to the Hawaii Tsunami Warning Center, small “tsunami waves” were seen off Tonga Island. They could grow into waves of up to three meters.

The last quakes were at the Kermadec Islands, about 800 kilometres from New Zealand’s North Island. Earlier in the day, there was a quake with a magnitude of around 7.0 on the island’s east coast. Initially, there were fears of a tsunami.

The authorities called on residents in coastal areas to flee to higher ground. But dangerous tidal waves and damage failed to materialize. New warnings were issued later.