tsunami hits hawaii

A tsunami triggered by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile has swept across Hawaii without causing damage.

Oceanographer Nathan Bedford has told CNN water levels in Hawaii are rising by about a metre before receding then rising again.

Mr Bedford says these waves are striking every 20 minutes.

The waves have caused no damage to date, but bigger waves are possible.

There is a tsunami warning in place for Australia's east coast from Tasmania to Queensland as the wave moves across the Pacific.

The American islands had hours of warning and authorities sounded sirens and moved people to higher ground.

Boats, including US Navy ships, moved out to deeper water so that they would be unaffected by the wave.

Supermarkets were swamped by customers stocking up on emergency supplies.

Hawaii was struck by a tsunami in 1960 after a 9.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Chile, the strongest quake ever recorded. That quake struck in the same region as yesterday's.

Earlier, a four-metre high wave hit part of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. There were no reports of casualties.

The quake's after-effects have already been felt in New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa. Further afield Russia and Japan are on alert.

In the immediate aftermath of the Chile quake, a wave about two metres high struck islands off the coast near the quake's epicentre, just north of the city of Concepcion.

But as the wave moves across the Pacific it will lose power, meaning the chance of devastation in Australia is slim.

Waves up to half-a-metre high have hit New Zealand's eastern Chatham Islands and officials warned bigger waves were to follow.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.

A huge tsunami has caused serious damage to the southern part of Juan Fernandez island, also known as Robinson Crusoe island, while a partial evacuation of Easter Island has been ordered.