A strong 5.7 magnitude earthquake has rocked central New Zealand.

The 1.38pm quake was 35km south-east of St Arnaud, Nelson, at a depth of 65km, The New Zealand Herald reported.

Geonet duty seismologist Anna Kaiser said the shake was felt throughout the upper South Island and lower North Island.

"It was widely felt from Taranaki to Canterbury," she said.

There were also five reports from Auckland and one from Otago.

"It was a decent shake," she said.

"With that level of shaking, it would rattle things around but we wouldn't expect major structural damage."

People have reported feeling the slow-rolling quake in the lower North Island and upper South Island.

Source: MENA