New Zealand hit by quake of magnitude 6.9

An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck New Zealand at around 0520 GMT on Sunday, the US Geological Survey's monitoring service  reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries afterthe tremors.

Another quake measuring 5.8 on the richter scale rocked central New Zealand early Sundayofficials said.

The quake was the latest in a series to strike off the coast near the top of the South Island, which started with a 5.3 tremor on Thursday.

The US Ambassador to New Zealand David Huebner tweeted that the quake was felt as a "meaningful jolt and roll".

The region has seen a spate of quakes in recent days. The local Geonet monitoring service recorded the moderate tremor as one of seven measured at 3.2 or stronger in the space of half an hour on Sunday.

The quakes have been centered about 200 kilometres north of New Zealand's second largest city Christchurch, where a 6.3-magnitude quake in February 2011 toppled buildings onto lunchtime crowds, leaving 185 people dead.

The country sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire", the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.

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