
A major 5.8 magnitude aftershock has rocked New Zealand's South Island, north of where two massive earthquakes measuring 6.3 and 7.8 struck less than 24 hours before.

The recent 'strong' quake, which was 35km deep, hit the Kaikoura region at about 7.45 local time on Monday.

An intense 6.3 magnitude aftershock centred in Cheviot, located between Christchurch and Kaikoura, also hit around 1.30pm local time on Monday.

They are included in more than 700 aftershocks in New Zealand since 12am on Sunday when an initial 7.8 earthquake centred north of Christchurch struck, causing extensive destruction, killed two people and triggered a tsunami up to five metres high.

The initial tremor created fractures in major roadways, brought buildings to the ground and forced frightened kiwis to flock to their local supermarkets to stock up on food, drinks and essential supplies.

It comes as authorities warn the worst of the major tremors may not yet be over.

New Zealand earthquake monitoring group GeoNet says there's a 12 per cent chance the country will be shaken by another quake of a 7.0 magnitude or higher before midnight on Monday.

Also worrying for residents is the fact that the Clarence River, one of the largest in the country, has burst its banks causing a huge 'wall of water' to rush towards homes.

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New Zealand has been rocked by two major earthquakes. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake ripped up State Highway 1 (pictured) on the east coast in the early hours of Monday morning, before a 6.3 aftershock struck some 14 hours later at around 1.30pm

A landslide caused the Clarence River (pictured) to be dammed, before it broke its banks and sent a 'wall of water' flowing dangerously downstream

The 6.3 magnitude aftershock struck just north of where a massive 7.8 earthquake struck hours earlier. Authorities are now warning that there is a 12 per cent chance another major quake of a magnitude greater than 7.0 may strike New Zealand today

A road lies burried beneath tonnes of dirt after a mountainside collapsed along the New Zealand coast, near Kaikoura

The large landslide completely covered an extended section of the road and also caused damage to railway lines

An entire seabed was raised out of the ground in Kaikoura during the earthquake (pictured)

Local residents survey the incredible damage caused to State Highway One, the longest major roadway in New Zealand

The impact of the earthquake left fractures metres wide and deep in the road surface of one of State Highway One

A woman stands in her kitchen and surveys the damage, with dozens of implements and food thrown onto the ground by the force of the quake

A grocer in Canterbury posted these photos online of smashed wine bottles (left) and toiletries spilled all over the floor (right)

A hotel manager returns to her business to assess the damage and begin the clean up in the wake of Monday's quake

Auckland's Sky Tower was illuminated black and white on Monday night as a sign of solidarity after the devastating quakes (pictured)

A landslide caused part of the river to become 'dammed', before it broke through and began flowing quickly down stream, stuff.co.nz reports.

It follows warnings from the Civil Defence that 'destructive waves' would continue to hit the coast following the tsunami that made land at around 2am.

The largest waves, between three to five metres high, were expected between Marlborough Peninsula near Wellington and Banks Peninsula, just south of Christchurch.

Speaking on Monday morning, prime minister John Key confirmed the deaths of two people and said he'd ordered a military helicopter to the Kaikoura region, which has been cut off.

Auckland's Sky Tower was illuminated black and white on Monday night as a sign of solidarity after the devastating quakes.

New Zealand lies on the Ring of Fire, a zone of areas prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, that circles the Pacific rim.

In the wake of the quake, some shop owners have been forced to ration their food and water supplies as frightened residents stock up.

It comes as police investigate a spate of burglaries that took place after the deadly first earthquake.

A policeman steps down into the incredibly deep holes created by the earthquake, which are almost as deep as he is tall

Amora Hotel guests gather in a car park after being evacuated from a Wellington hotel after the quake (pictured)

Forced outside into the cold New Zealand air in the early hours, guests were fored to huddled under blankets to stay warm

Tessa Prentice, 20, stands outside her family's quake-damaged home at Claverly in North Canterbury

German tourists Robin Tohermes (left) and Niels Gallo (right) play a ukelele while waiting in the queue at a traffic road block

A truck drives over the fractured road caused by an earthquake south of the New Zealand town of Ward on the South Island

Roads surround Centre Port in Wellington were destroyed by this morning's powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake

There have been rerports of brown water coming out of the taps in the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn following the quake

Two people have been confirmed dead after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Sunday night

A number of residents in Canterbury, on the country's South Island, evacuated their homes when the tremors hit.

When they eventually returned hours later they discovered four homes along the same had been hit by thieves.

Among the items stolen by thieves was a $4700 hearing aid system used by a disabled schoolgirl who lived in one of the homes and also a large truck, stuff.co.nz reports.

'We were evacuated last night at about 2.30am and locked the place up and then came home at about 6.30am this morning and realised my work truck was gone,' Matt Mill said.

'We're just gutted, we work hard for what we've got and come home to this. [It's] pretty disappointing.

'You'd think you'd just be able to walk out and leave your house open and everyone's getting to safety but no, it's just people out there that opportunity knocks and away they go, so hopefully it comes back and bites them one day.'

As well as dealing with the huge cleanup ahead, authorities are also hunting for those responsible for four break-and-enters in evacuated houses in Christchurch.

Christchurch has not fully recovered from an earthquake in 2011 that killed 185 people.

Frightened residents went into survival mode after the quake, flocking to local shops and supermarkets to stock up their shelves and fridges with food, water and medical supplies.

Within hours shelves were left completely bare as customers shopped in case of the worst, forcing some store owners to ration popular items such as milk.

Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by New Zealanders stocking up, with some shops now rationing items

Many flocked to the shops as soon as they opened to collect supplies, with bread, milk, fruit, vegetables and water in demand

Grocery store owner John Dawber (pictured) shows all the damaged goods he had to throw out after the earthquake

The powerful quake caused widespread damage to major infrastructure such as railway lines (left) and roadways (right)

Shipping containers at Centre Port in Wellington were knocked over after Sunday morning's earthquake struck the area

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit north of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island shortly after midnight on Sunday

Items at a grocery store were thrown off of the shelves and exploded on the ground (pictured)

The quake, located 20km south east of Hanmer Springs at a depth of 16km, was felt by the entire country and set off a series of aftershocks, the largest being a 6.3 magnitude quake on Monday afternoon

Shop mannequins were tossed to the ground after the powerful earthquake struck on Sunday morning

Authorities have asked people in Wellington to stay away from work on Monday because of the dangers posed by aftershocks and the damage caused to some buildings.

The city's suburban rail network has been shut while engineers inspect the tracks, bridges and tunnels for any damage.

'We know this is scary. We are with you, New Zealand. Please look after each,' NZ Government's GeoNet posted on Twitter.

In several cities guests were forced to evacuate hotels when the quake hit, including Nelson, about 200 kilometres from the quake centre where the touring Pakistan cricket team are staying.

The cricket test between New Zealand and Pakistan have been given the go-ahead after engineers inspected Hagley Oval, according to Newshub.

'Some of the boys were in prayer, some were watching the India-England Test on TV when we felt the windows shake,' team manager Wasim Bari told ESPNcricinfo.

'The whole room began to shake. We were on the sixth and seventh floor, and evacuated immediately.'

A huge fissure destroyed the road approximately two hours north of Christchurch on Sunday morning

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced that at least two people have died in this morning's earthquake

A tsunami has been generated by the earthquake. The largest waves, between three to five metres, are expected between Marlborough Peninsula near Wellington and Banks Peninsula, just south of Christchurch (pictured)

Shattered glass and broken pieces of concrete can be seen scattered across the pavement out the front of a series of shops

The first wave arrived at Kaikoura on the South Island just before 2am local time

ARGENTINA STRUCK BY 6.2-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE FOLLOWED BY AFTERSHOCKS A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Argentina Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake, at a depth of 62 miles (100 kilometers), struck shortly after 1400 GMT about 16 miles north of the city Chilecito in the South American nation's La Rioja province. Villagers reported that the movement was felt in the neighboring provinces of Catamarca, Tucuman and Cordoba. The country's seismic authority also reported three smaller earthquakes Sunday. The quake near the border with Chile follows a 6.4-magnitude earthquake of 'great intensity' earlier this month in central Chile. That earthquake shook buildings in the capital Santiago, causing panic among residents, whose frantic phone calls clogged cellular networks and land lines, AFP correspondents said. Advertisement

John Dawber, who owns a supermarket in Hanmer Springs north of Christchurch said the tremor lasted for minutes.

'It's right up there with the Christchurch (2011) one,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'We've been through both of them and it shook for a long time. It held its magnitude for minutes.

'I had enough time to get up, leave my bedroom, go through the house, get my daughter and bring her back to our room and it went on the whole time.

Sirens were sounded along the coast warning people to evacuate, while there was also widespread loss of power.

Evacuees have posted images on social media of long traffic jams leading to Mount Victoria in Wellington and ferries hurriedly moving away from the shore line.

People living on the east coast were advised to move to high ground as the first of several waves hit the shore (pictured is the receding tide in Wellington)

Authorities launched a tsunami warning following this morning' 7.8 magnitude earthquake which claimed two lives

Police and the Fire Service block an intersection in Wellington (pictured)

Guests, some wearing robes, wait with their luggage after the earthquake hit around midnight

Logs have toppled off their racks on the wharf in Wellington (pictured)

A mannequin in a Cotton On clothing store lies on a table (pictured)

The truck loading ramp at the Interisland Ferry wharf dropped (pictured) as a result of the inital earthquake

Huge slip blocking 100 metres of Inland Kaikoura Road (right) and major road damage on Leander Road (left)

A traffic jam traffic lead to the top of Mount Victoria in Wellington (pictured) as people scrambled for higher ground

The Facebook safety check in has been activated.

St John Ambulance said they began responding to injuries from the quake around 1am but did not specify how many people were injured or how, according to Radio New Zealand.

The quake set of a series of aftershocks around the country, with a 6.2 magnitude one hitting Wellington on the south end of the North Island at about 12.40.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake moved struck the centre of the north Island at about 10 minutes later.

People were evacuated from buildings along Dixon Street, in Wellington after the 7.8 quake near Christchurch caused several aftershocks

People are seen trying to contact others on their phones after being evacuated (pictured)

The quake set of a series of aftershocks around the country, the largest of which was a 6.2 quake in Wellington (pictured)

Aftershocks ranging from a 3 to 5.5 in magnitude were still being felt more than two hours after the initial quake.

The 7.8 earthquake is larger than the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that destroyed Christchurch and killed 185 people in 2011.

New Zealanders have taken to social media to share pictures of the damage the earthquake caused.

Fallen photo frames and mirrors can be seen shattered on the ground, while furniture looks like it has been tossed across the room.

Multiple buildings were evacuated, including hotels and the Christchurch airport terminal, according to passengers.

Mannequins in Cotton On clothing store lie on the ground after the earthquake (pictured)

One New Zealander had to sweep up glass and the remains of a porcelain figurine which fell to the ground during the quake

Fallen photo frames and mirrors shattered when they fell over from the intensity

Kitchen drawers are opened and items have been tossed around (pictured)

Hannah Gin had just sat down in her living room to watch a replay of this weekend's All Blacks versus Italy rugby match when her house started shaking. Upstairs, her mother let out a scream.

Miss Gin, a 24-year-old lifelong Christchurch resident, is accustomed to quakes, so said she sat calmly and waited, figuring the rumbling would stop in a few seconds. Instead, the shaking just went on and on - for at least three minutes, according to the clock on her phone, she said by phone.

The quake was far less violent than the one that struck her city in 2011, Miss Gin said, adding that there was no jarring up and down or side to side, just a long, rolling sensation. But it went on for much longer than the typical quakes that strike the area, she said.

'I could hear the sliding door sliding back and forth and we've got washing hanging up and I could see the washing moving,' Miss Gin said. 'It just kept going and going.'

Bottles litter the floor of a supermarket in Miramar. New Zealand was hit by an even more devastating earthquake in 2011

Multiple buildings were evacuated, including hotels and airport terminals