It’s been a rocky start to the week for Whakatāne with a swarm of small to moderate earthquakes hitting on Monday morning.

As at 9am, Geonet had reported 15 earthquakes in Eastern Bay of Plenty since midnight.

The largest so far measured 4.3 and was situated 10km north of Whakatāne which may have been felt in Murupara, Ōpōtiki, Rotorua, Tauranga, Te Kaha and Matawai.

It struck at a depth of 5km.

The other quakes measured around the 2.6 to 3.7 range – meaning weak shaking in the Whakatāne area.

Credit: Stuff.co.nz