6.7 earthquake hits off the coast of New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND — A 6.7 earthquake hit off the coast of New Zealand.

According to USGS, the earthquake hit around 2:43 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. USGS reports the earthquake was 10 km deep, 159 km from Riverton, New Zealand at the southwestern end of the South Island.

Emergency management teams confirmed that there was no tsunami threat to the Hawaiian Islands or any western states in the U.S.

The National Emergency Management Agency in New Zealand confirmed that no land threat was expected.

However, residents of Southland and Fiordland were told to stay away from beaches and marine areas due to potentially dangerous strong and unusual currents.

Tsunami Info Stmt: M 7.0 off W. Coast Of S. Island, N.Z.
at 1843 PDT on Mar 24: Tsunami NOT expected for CA, OR, WA, BC, and AK.
— NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) March 25, 2025