On the morning of 5 March 2021, three high-magnitude earthquakes struck near New Zealand, including a 6.9 magnitude quake that occurred approximately 240 km (150 mi) east of Gisborne on North Island and 7.4 and 8.1 magnitude quakes that hit near the Kermadec Islands. Each tremor prompted the National Emergency Management Agency to issue tsunami alerts for coastal areas across the country, advising residents to seek higher ground. Authorities canceled all such alerts by 1545 local time (0745 UTC) after the threat had passed. Although some wave surges reached coastal areas near Auckland, there were no reports of significant damage or injuries. Authorities had evacuated thousands of people from low-lying areas on North Island following the 8.1 magnitude tremor. The Britomart train station — Auckland’s main train station — was temporarily closed due to the threat of flooding and ferry services in the city were canceled.