Wellington,  An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted New Zealand's east sea on Monday and was widely felt in the North Island.

The quake occurred at 7.37 p.m. (local time) in the East Cape Region, 120 km east of Te Araroa at a depth of 33 km, according to GeoNet, the country's geological hazard information centre.

GeoNet said it had received more than 7,800 felt reports, reports Xinhua news agency.

Last month, three strong quakes jolted the sea off the coast of the North Island, which resulted a tsunami warning on the coast.