The epicentre was 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) deep, and was thought to be near Secretary Island at the entrance to Doubtful Sound.

[9] Some 70 km to the south-east of the town, residents felt the quake strongly and items fell off shelves in shops and homes.

The earthquake also caused some concrete to crack in the control structure of Lake Te Anau, and collapses in Kepler Track.

[11] A team of geologists led by Ian Turnbull went to investigate and reported "landsliding on a large scale".

The other part was recorded as far Port Kembla, on the east coast of Australia, with a peak-to-trough height of 0.17 metres.