A swarm of earthquakes has hit south west of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty

GeoNet says it's recorded more than 40 earthquakes so far -- the largest of which is a magnitude 4.8.

They say this swarm is similar to those which occurred in 2018 and 2019.

It says feeling quakes close together can be unsettling but this is typical activity for the area and it's monitoring activity closely.