AKIPRESS.COM - A strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake rattled New Zealand on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with local authorities saying there were no immediate reports of damage despite it being widely felt.

The quake hit at 3:36 pm (0336 GMT) with its epicentre about 41 miles from the South Island town of Kaikoura at a depth of 35 miles, the USGS said.

The local GeoNet monitoring service measured the quake at 6.3 and said it was felt across the entire country, but was unlikely to cause damage because of it was so deep.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called "Ring of Fire", and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.