Strong earthquake (7.0 magnitude) rattles New Zealand's North Island, no reports of injury

A strong earthquake struck off the west coast of New Zealand's North Island on Tuesday, shaking residents across a wide area and toppling goods from shelves but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injury.-Strong earth quake-earthquake

New Zealand,earthquake-The 7.0 magnitude quake was centered 170 km northwest of the capital Wellington at a depth of 230 km (147 miles), the national GeoNet website reported. The U.S. Geological Service earlier reported the tremor at a 6.2 magnitude. There was no tsunami warning issued.

New Zealand,earthquake-The quake was felt throughout central New Zealand, sparking a flurry of activity on social network sites, but local media reported only minor damage.

New Zealand,earthquake-"It was a good shake but we see no damage. I felt the whole building shake," a spokeswoman at the Opunake police station told Reuters. The quake was centered 60 km from Opunake.

New Zealand,earthquake-The New Zealand dollar dipped to a session low near 80 U.S. cents following the tremor.

New Zealand,earthquake-Christchurch, the New Zealand's second-largest city, is still recovering from a shallow quake measuring 6.3 which killed 182 people in February 2011 and caused some NZ$20 billion ($15.5 billion) in damage.