Tsunami alerts issued in countries as far apart as Peru and Australia after a trio of large quakes measuring 7.4, 7.3 and 8.1, plus dozens of powerful aftershocks, strike near New Zealand's remote Kermadec Islands.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said about dozens of tourists were on or near White Island when it erupted in the afternoon.
Gus Hutt was preparing for an early morning fish when he saw what appeared to be a doll bobbing past him in a rip current at Matata Beach in the North Island's Bay of Plenty.
Another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 rattled New Zealand's South Island hours after a more powerful quake killed at least two people earlier.
Scientists say magma build-up beneath Matata explains unusual earthquake activity but is far from becoming an active volcano.
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