New Zealand has asked residents along its far northern coast to move away from beaches and other waterfront areas after a 7.7 magnitude quake hit the South Pacific on Wednesday, according to an AFP report. “We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore” following the quake near the Loyalty Islands, the National Emergency Management Agency said. “People in or near the sea (along the north coast) should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, rivers and estuaries”, it added.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology took to Twitter to warn people and tweeted, “Tsunami confirmed.”

It warned of a threat to Lord Howe Island, which is about 550 kilometres (340 miles) east of Australia’s mainland.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coasts of Vanuatu and New Caledonia on Thursday. 

According to the report, the earthquake struck at just after midnight on Thursday local time (1320 GMT) about 415 kilometres east of Vao in New Caledonia at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to USGS.