Live earthquake check
Earthquakes near Tauranga today
Updated
No M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km of Tauranga in the last 24 hours The last M2.5+ within 100 km was M4.0 74 km E, 28 days ago.
Was there an earthquake in Tauranga just now? This page checks the live USGS catalogue for quakes around Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand and updates every few minutes.
- Last 24 hours
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 7 days
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 30 days
- 1 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Largest in 30 days
- M4.0 74 km E, Sep 27, 2026
- Largest in past year
- M5.8 148 km NE, May 5, 2026
- Past year count
- 20 M2.5+ within 150 km
- Nearest in 30 days
- 74 km M4.0, Sep 27, 2026
Recent earthquakes near Tauranga
USGS recorded 1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more within 100 km of Tauranga in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last 7 days. The most recent was M4.0 74 km E of the city at Sep 28, 09:49 local time (28 days ago).
The average depth was about 151 km and 0 of 1 were shallow (under 70 km), which are the ones most likely to be felt at the surface.
| Time (Tauranga) | UTC | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 18, 00:32 | Oct 17, 11:32 UTC | M4.3 | 116 km ENE | 133 km | 83 km N of Opotiki, New Zealand |
| Oct 15, 18:25 | Oct 15, 05:25 UTC | M5.3 | 121 km SW | 284 km | 46 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand |
| Sep 28, 09:49 | Sep 27, 20:49 UTC | M4.0 | 74 km E | 151 km | 32 km N of Whakatane, New Zealand |
M2.5+ within 150 km, past 30 days, newest first. Times in Pacific/Auckland.
Largest earthquakes near Tauranga in the past year
The strongest earthquake within 150 km of Tauranga in the past 12 months was M5.8 on May 5, 2026, 148 km NE of the city (126 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand).
With 20 M2.5+ earthquakes in a year (about 1.7 a month), the area around Tauranga is moderately active by global standards. 9 of the ten largest reached M4.5, the level at which damage near the epicentre becomes possible.
| Date | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2026 | M5.8 | 148 km NE | 7 km | 126 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
| Oct 15, 2026 | M5.3 | 121 km SW | 284 km | 46 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand |
| Jul 7, 2026 | M4.9 | 124 km ENE | 122 km | 87 km WNW of Hicks Bay, New Zealand |
| May 8, 2026 | M4.7 | 121 km NE | 10 km | 100 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
| May 6, 2026 | M4.7 | 142 km NE | 10 km | 126 km NW of Hicks Bay, New Zealand |
| May 8, 2026 | M4.6 | 131 km NNE | 10 km | 104 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
| Aug 30, 2026 | M4.5 | 144 km NE | 181 km | 105 km NW of Hicks Bay, New Zealand |
| May 5, 2026 | M4.5 | 144 km NE | 10 km | 125 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
| May 5, 2026 | M4.5 | 148 km NE | 10 km | 127 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
| May 5, 2026 | M4.4 | 140 km NE | 10 km | 126 km ENE of Pauanui, New Zealand |
Was it felt in Tauranga?
The largest nearby quake this month, M4.0 at 74 km, may have been felt lightly in Tauranga by a rough rule of thumb (an M3 is typically noticed within a few tens of km, an M5 up to a few hundred km; local ground and building type matter a lot).
USGS "Did You Feel It?" received reports for 1 of these quakes: M5.3 on Oct 15, 2026 (9 reports, max intensity 2.7).
If you felt shaking, you can report it to USGS; reports refine the intensity map within minutes.
Tsunami warning status
None of the earthquakes near Tauranga in the past year carried the USGS tsunami flag, which USGS sets for large quakes in oceanic regions where the tsunami warning centres issue messages.
Official tsunami warnings come from the NOAA tsunami warning centres (tsunami.gov) and national agencies; follow local authorities if you are on a coast after strong shaking.
Earthquakes around the world today
Worldwide, USGS listed 146 earthquakes of M1+ in the last 24 hours; the largest was M6.5 Bonin Islands, Japan region.
USGS lists every magnitude in the United States but outside it coverage is complete only from about M4–4.5, so smaller local quakes reported by national agencies may be missing. Magnitudes and locations are revised for hours after an event.
Earthquakes near other cities in New Zealand and nearby
Earthquake pages
More live data for Tauranga
Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (ComCat), GeoNames (cities, CC BY 4.0).