A tsunami has hit New Zealand after a powerful earthquake struck the country's South Island, with the country's prime minister confirming two deaths.

Thousands of people on the country's east coast fled after a warning to move to higher ground.

The quake, which measured 7.5 in magnitude, led to waves up to two metres high, including in the Kaikoura area.

Christchurch resident: 'The whole house was moving and creaking'

Police said one of the victims was found in a house in the coastal tourist town, while another died in Mount Lyford, a nearby ski resort.

The Civil Defence Ministry had described the tsunami as "an event of life-threatening or national significance".


It tweeted: "A tsunami has been generated, the first wave has arrived in the North Eastern Coast of the South Island."

NZ PM: Coastal warnings after quake

"If you are in a low lying area on the East Coast of the North, South or Chatham Islands move immediately to higher ground."

The country's PM, John Key, later said the tsunami warnings had been downgraded to coastal warnings.

Image: A tsunami warning alerts drivers on State Highway 1 in Wellington after a 7.8-magnitude quake hit the country just after midnight Image: The quake was centred on the country's South Island, 57 miles north of Christchurch. It was also felt in the capital, Wellington, with Richard Bicknell tweeting this image of his kitchen ceiling Image: Guests at a Wellington hotel gather in a car park after the quake Image: Firefighters gather at the corner of Wakefield and Victoria Streets in Wellington Image: A Geonet map showing the location of the strongest tremors Image: Officials said the country could see tsunami wave three to five metres high. This map shows evacuation zones from Wellington City to Ngauranga. Pic: Wellington Region Emergency Management Image: Debris from buildings on a sidewalk past a cordon line in Wellington Image: Mannequins in a Wellington shop took a tumble Image: A damaged chimney in Wellington. Pic: Richard Bicknell Image: The quake shook supermarket products off the shelves in the capital /

Authorities said they were not yet declaring a national emergency, saying the regions are coping well.

St John Ambulance said it was sending helicopters to the epicentre of the quake - 57 miles (91km) north of the South Island city of Christchurch.

Image: The civil defence's map of expected wave heights around the New Zealand coastline

Mr Key also told reporters that a military helicopter was heading to Kaikoura.

The quake hit just after midnight local time. The initial tremor was followed by aftershocks, including several above magnitude 6.

People on the east coast (including the Chatham Islands) close to the epicentre can expect waves of 3-5 metres. Move to high ground #eqnz — MCDEM (@NZcivildefence) November 13, 2016

Sirens sounded in Christchurch - badly damaged by in a deadly 6.3-magnitude quake in 2011 - and police have set up road blocks to stop people returning to lower-lying areas.

Strong jolts were also felt in Wellington, some 120 miles (200km) north and there was gridlock on roads leading to Mount Victoria - a hill overlooking the capital.

"I'm just sort of parked by the side of the road and I think people are trying to go to sleep the same as I am," said Wellington resident Howard Warner

Image: A Geonet map showing the location of the quakes

Officials said there was structural damage to some buildings in Wellington and people were being warned to say away from the central business district.

The train network was closed for checks but the airport was still operating normally.

New Zealand's Geonet, which describes itself as the official source of geological hazard information, listed dozens of quakes between 3.8 and 6.6.

Hugh Sintes, from Christchurch, told Sky News: "My wife had gone off to the bathroom, I had just lay down on my bed and all of all of a sudden the bed started wobbling and it got more and more intense.

"And I thought 'okay this is getting a bit serious'. It continued on and on - it got quite concerning."

Image: A UNESCO sea level monitoring station results for Kaikoura

The relatively shallow first quake occurred at a depth of nine miles (15km). Shallow tremors are felt more strongly on the surface.

Rick Kiesseg said on Twitter: "Primary New Zealand #earthquake lasted about a minute. Long, long, long shake and roll. About 17 aftershocks so far, biggest mag 6.1"

The February 2011 earthquake hit just a few miles outside Christchurch, New Zealand's third biggest city, causing widespread damage and leaving 185 people dead.

New Zealand lies on the boundary of two tectonic plates and is on the so-called 'Ring of Fire' - an area prone to earthquakes.

The country experience as many as 15,000 tremors a year.