LAST night’s long and rolling earthquake terrified some while many others slept through it.

The 7-magnitude quake, centred 60km southwest of Opunake in Taranaki at depth of 230 kilometres, was felt as far away as Bay of Plenty and Gisborne in the North Island and Christchurch in the south.

Immediately after the rocking stopped internet social networking sites were alive with people sharing their experience.

“I was terrified, I clung to my bed and called for my mammy. We don’t get them at home,” said one Gisborne man who comes from Ireland.

“It was only a wee one – no wonder the Irish can’t beat the All Blacks if they can’t take a bit of rocking,” was the reply from a workmate of his.

Gisborne woman Emma Walters was on the 16th floor of a hotel in Wellington when the earthquake struck.

“It was quite a shake . . . enough to wake me up and get me out of bed,” she said.

“Coming from Gisborne, I guess I’m pretty used to them, but it was unsettling. I have family in Opunake so I tried to ring my cousin, but she’s in the South Island. So I jumped on Facebook to see what was happening and everyone was talking about it.

“There was talk of aftershocks, but I didn’t feel anything after the initial earthquake,” she said.

One Gisborne woman said her cat reacted fast to the shake.

“It jumped into the air and off the couch looking very startled,” she said.

The Fire Service had a number of calls from concerned people in other parts of the country but there were none in Gisborne.

GNS Science said the quake was followed by a smaller aftershock.

There was no tsunami warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.