Earthquake: How the first of three massive shakes struck in the dead of night 4 Mar, 2021 09:49 PM 4 minutes to read New Zealand's reaction to the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck near Te Araroa in North Island of New Zealand; land and marine tsunami warnings lifted. Video / Supplied New Zealand's reaction to the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck near Te Araroa in North Island of New Zealand; land and marine tsunami warnings lifted. Video / Supplied In the dead of night, it came - a violent shaking at least one person thought was an evil spirit. That would be the first earthquake - a 7.1 magnitude beast that struck off the North Island just before 2.30am.