A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific 369 km (230 miles) south southeast of New Zealand's largely uninhabited Kermadec islands on Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake was recorded at 1845 GMT at a depth of 10km, the agency added.

The Kermadec Island arc sits from 800-1,000km off the coast of New Zealand's North Island.