New Zealand on Friday rocked by three powerful earthquakes with in eight hours, triggering the tsunami warnings across the South Pacific.

According to the media reports, the magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 1,000 km from New Zealand was the largest in a series of aftershocks over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3.

The residents recorded videos of small wave surges in some places, including at Tokomaru Bay near Gisborne. The Rescue Officials said that the threat had passed and people could return to their homes, although they should continue avoiding beaches.

After the largest quake, civil defense authorities in New Zealand warned people in some coastal areas to immediately get to higher ground. They said a damaging tsunami was possible, and waves could reach up to 10 feet.

With a population of 5 million people, New Zealand, sits on the fault line between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates and registers some 15,000 earthquakes yearly, of which between 100 and 150 are powerful enough to be felt.

Back on February 22, 2011, 185 people were killed in a magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch. At least 30,000 buildings were damaged due to the quake.