Tsunami monitoring agencies said they had detected no destructive tsunami after a deep earthquake of 7.4 magnitude struck near New Zealand's South Island Friday.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre of the US National Oceanic (NOAA) reported that the earthquake struck about 1636 GMT, at a depth of 66 km.

It said it did not expect a 'destructive widespread tsunami threat' based on historical data. But it warned that earthquakes of this size can be destructive along coats near the quake's epicentre.