According to its felt reports map, nearly 4000 said they noticed the jolt.
Of these, around 2000 said it was weak, 1500 said it was light, and around 250 said it was moderate.
“Oooh, we felt that one,” one person posted to Twitter in the aftermath.
“My cat got spooked and ran for it,” another wrote.
The quake came the same day as a minor one hit the upper North Island on Saturday afternoon.
GeoNet reported this earlier quake’s epicentre was 40km west of Kawhia, at a shallow 5km.
It was felt as far north as Auckland and as far south as Whanganui, with most describing the shaking as “weak”, according to GeoNet’s reporting map.