| Magnitude | 5.5 |
| Alert | Strong |
| Depth | 33.0 km |
| Coordinates | -30.392, -177.497 |
| UTC time | 1981-12-25 09:12:06.180 |
Earthquake details
Friday, December 25, 1981 Earthquake
The earthquake hit New Zealand on Friday, December 25, 1981 at 09:12 UTC with a magnitude of 5.5. The closest known location in the current dataset is Whangarei (New Zealand - NE), about 966.6 km away. The epicenter is located at longitude -177.497 and latitude -30.392.
| Location | Kermadec Islands |
| Country | New Zealand (NE) |
| Severity | Strong |
Earthquake map 1981-12-25
Closest countries
The 12 closest cities near the epicenter.
| Whangarei | 966.6 km |
| Tauranga | 999.9 km |
| Gisborne | 1007.6 km |
| Auckland | 1014.8 km |
| Manukau | 1018.3 km |
| Papatoetoe | 1018.9 km |
| Rotorua | 1036.2 km |
| Hamilton | 1057.5 km |
| Napier City | 1133.6 km |
| Hastings | 1150.5 km |
| New Plymouth | 1234.0 km |
| Whanganui | 1259.1 km |
Nearby earthquakes
The latest 8 earthquakes within 100 km of this epicenter.
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-16 20:03 UTC
21.7 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-09-05 01:41 UTC
54.6 km
M 5.8
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-08-30 09:02 UTC
46.5 km
M 5.0
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 21:03 UTC
95.4 km
M 4.8
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-07-22 15:45 UTC
97.2 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-22 15:39 UTC
77.4 km
M 4.6
Kermadec Islands
New Zealand · 2026-07-11 03:33 UTC
82.9 km
M 4.9
Kermadec Islands region
Unknown · 2026-06-29 03:10 UTC
90.2 km
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