A strong earthquake has struck Vanuatu, but there are no tsunami warnings or immediate reports of damage.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 when it hit at 9.23am local time (10.23am NZ time), the US Geological Survey said.
Its epicentre was 83km northwest of the capital, Port Vila, at a depth of 29km.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no risk of the quake causing a tsunami.
Vanessa Apuary, a Port Vila hotel worker, said the quake's impact "wasn't that big" considering its magnitude, which she understood to be 6.4.
"It was heavy and slow, but didn’t do any damage at all in Port Vila," Apuary told The Associated Press.
Vanuatu sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world's earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake a year ago caused a small tsunami to wash ashore at Vanuatu but no damage was reported.
Vanuatu's closest neighbouring territories are New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. The island nation is around 2500km north of New Zealand.
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