THIS BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN WILL BE CAPTIONED LIVE. A SEVERE EARTHQUAKE HAS HIT 10KM SOUTH-EAST OF SEDDON, AT THE TOP OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, WITH BIG SHAKES BEING FELT IN THE CAPITAL AND ELSEWHERE. THE QUAKE MEASURED AT LEAST 6.2 AT A DEPTH OF 8KM. IT WAS FOLLOWED SIX MINUTES LATER BY A NUMBER OF AFTERSHOCKS, THE FIRST MEASURING 5.7. THE QUAKE HAS OVERLOADED CELLPHONE NETWORKS AND PEOPLE ARE BEING URGED TO USE TEXT WHERE POSSIBLE. EMERGENCY CALLS STILL WORKING. THERE'VE BEEN MORE THAN A DOZEN STRONG AFTERSHOCKS MEASURING MORE THAN MAGNITUDE 4.4 POLICE SAY STILL NO REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR INJURIES. TRAIN SERVICES SUSPENDED IN WELLINGTON. BUS SERVICES ARE STILL OPERATING. EARTHQUAKE FELT AS FAR AS AUCKLAND AND DUNEDIN REPORTS OF BOULDERS BLOCKING ROADS SOUTH OF BLENHEIM ON STATE HIGHWAY 1 AND IT IS NOW CLOSED. THE OWNER OF SEDDON SUPERMARKET SAYS POWER IS DOWN, EARTHQUAKE FELT LIKE BIG SHAKE LAST MONTH. PEOPLE IN QUAKE AFFECTED AREAS URGED TO CHECK ON NEIGHBOURS WELLINGTON AIRPORT IS OPEN BUT SOME FLIGHTS MAY BE CANCELLED OR DELAYED. FIREFIGHTERS HAVE RESCUED A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM LIFTS This IS OUR traffic camera. Many people are trying to leave the city. Traffic is static at the moment. AND REPORTER SIMON BRADWELL WAS IN OUR WELLINGTON NEWSROOM WHEN THE QUAKE STRUCK. FOR SAFTEY REASONS, SIMON AND THE REST OF THE NEWSROOM HAS BEEN EVACUATED, AND SIMON NOW JOINS US FROM OUTSIDE THE BEEHIVE. SIMON. The atmosphere is quite eerie. A lot of workers had been evacuated from the buildings. Nobody is saying much. People are pretty shaken up. The tourists in lambton quay I still standing around. Traffic are still heavily backed up. Starting to move. The results of everybody wanted to go home and get out of the city has resulted in substantial delays and severe gridlock. THEY'RE NOT STOPPING. THEY'RE JUST KEEPING GOING, AND I AM VERY SHAKEN NOW. I'VE GOT A GREAT BIG MIRROR IN MY LOUNGE. IT JUST RIPPED OFF THE WALL. OTHER PICTURES FELL OFF THE WALLS. I'M JUST NOT SURE WHAT ELSE YET. ELECTRIC JUG FELL DOWN. LOT MORE BROKEN, UM, SHELVES OVER AND STUFF LIKE THAT. DVD CABINET DOWN. SO I'M JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE HERE, ACTUALLY. WHAT DO YOU THINK MOST OF THE PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO IN SEDDON TONIGHT? IF THEY'VE GOT ANY BRAINS, THEY'LL GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE. A SHORT TIME WE SPOKE TO JIM RAWDON, WHO WAS ON BLENHEIM'S MAIN STREET WHEN THE QUAKE HIT. THE ROADS STARTED TO GO UP AND DOWN IN A VERY, SORT OF, WAVY SORT OF WAY. THE PLATE GLASS WINDOWS ` I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THAT. THEY WERE FLEXING AND BUCKLING, AND I THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER DEGREE OR TWO STRONGER AND THEY WOULD HAVE POPPED OUT. SO IT WAS VERY VERY SCARY. THERE WERE A LOT OF DISTRESSED PEOPLE. PEOPLE LEAVING WORK EARLY, COMFORTING EACH OTHER. IT WAS` IT JUST COMES` EVERYONE WAS ON EDGE. HOW DOES THIS COMPARE WITH HOW YOU FELT IN THE PAST? IT'S WORSE. I'M SITTING OUTSIDE WITH THE KIDS. THEY'RE TOO WORRIED TO GO INSIDE THE HOUSE AGAIN. THE QUAKE WAS ALSO FELT IN PALMERSTON NORTH, WHERE KATHY BATCHELOR IS THE MANAGER OF THE LOCAL NEW WORLD SUPERMARKET I JUST LEANT DOWN TO PICK SOMETHING UP AND STOOD UP, AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WAS HAVING A DIZZY SPELL OR SOMETHING. JUST FELT LIKE I WAS NOT QUITE STABLE, AND THERE WAS DEFINITELY AN EARTHQUAKE. WE STRAIGHT AWAY HEADED FOR DOORWAYS AND UNDER DESKS, AND IT CONTINUED ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD ROLLING QUAKE. WHAT ABOUT DAMAGE? I THINK WE WERE PRETTY LUCKY. I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD ANY DAMAGE HERE AT THIS STAGE. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO WHAT YOU'VE HAD IN RECENT TIMES, KATHY? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS` PROBABLY LASTED FOR A BIT LONGER THAN THAT ONE. AND TO ME IT FELT LIKE IT ROLLED ON FOR` WAS A BIT MORE VIGOROUS WITH THE ROLLING MOTION AS WELL. SO QUITE SCARY, I THINK, FOR EVERYBODY. People in the region clearly unsettled. THAT WAS REALLY SCARY. THAT WAS A BIG ONE, WASN'T IT? YEAH. WHEREABOUTS WERE YOU? WE WERE UP ON THE FOURTH FLOOR, ACTUALLY, IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERVIEW. OUR POOR INTERVIEWEE, AND WE JUST JUMPED UNDER THE DESK. SHE WAS CALMER THAN ALL OF US. YES. A BIG RATTLE. MOST PEOPLE IN YOUR OFFICE GOING HOME? YES, I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE HEADING HOME. NO. JUST WANNA GET HOME AND BE WITH MY KIDS, MAKE SURE THEY'RE OK. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD TO GO HOME AND NOT GO BACK INTO THE BUILDINGS. SO, YEAH. UNTIL WE'RE TOLD OTHERWISE. THEY'LL SEND OUT COMMUNICATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE ALLOWED IN. AND A RECAP NOW ON THOSE DETAILS. THE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE HIT JUST AFTER 2.30PM, AND THERE ARE REPORTS IT WAS FELT AS FAR AWAY AS AUCKLAND AND DUNEDIN. AT LEAST 12 STRONG AFTERSHOCKS HAVE BEEN FELT. TRAINS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IN WELLINGTON, AND PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE CITY. THERE'S BEEN NO TSUNAMI WARNING. THERE ARE REPORTS OF PEOPLE TRAPPED IN LIFTS AND AT LEAST ONE HOUSE COLLAPSE. THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS ONE NEWS SPECIAL. WE'LL BRING YOU MORE ON THESE LATEST QUAKES AS INFORMATION COMES TO HAND.