Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have been rocked by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake.

The tremor happened near Wellington and was named ‘massive’ and ‘scary’ by some locals.

There is no tsunami threat, the National Emergency Management Agency has said.

It came as Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence travelled to New Zealand for an official trip to the country.

King Charles III’s sister the Princess Royal visited New Zealand’s disaster management headquarters in Wellington on Wednesday and praised the nation’s response.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.