A 4.9 magnitude earthquake has struck in the upper South Island, with one person describing it as “quick and rough”.

The quake struck at 10.11am and was centred 30km west of Blenheim at a depth of 48 km.

The shaking was classed as ‘light’ and users of the Geonet site reporting feeling shaking in Nelson, Blenheim, the West Coast and parts of the Wellington region.

The earthquake comes hours before the anniversary of the deadly 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which struck at 12.51pm and killed 185 people.