Stay safe
I know you mean well, but think that one through. Like an asteroid bombardment, a large earthquake that you can't stand up in is not something you can do anything about staying safe in. I've not heard a house make that noise, nor have I seen a swarm of earthquakes up and down the country quite like that before. You may or may not know, but NZ's Alpine fault is one of the most active in the world and regularly pumps out earthquakes in the 8.2-9.5 range. We haven't had one of those since the '60s. Last night's earthquake was generated by the Hope Fault,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Fault , a spur of the Alpine fault. As the earthquake got stronger last night and the house started groaning and creaking and things started falling over the Alpine fault is what sprang to mind.
2 confirmed deaths so far but the tally is sure to go up.