The entire village of Waihi, located at the southern end of Lake Taupo, was evacuated following the most powerful earthquakes to hit the area in 10 years.
Quakes of magnitudes 4.3 and 4.4 struck within four hours before dawn on Saturday, and were only two of the numerous tremors that have recently been recorded in the area.
Civil defense officials say hundreds of small earthquakes in Waihi Bay over the past few weeks, combined with heavy rain, have made the Hipaua Cliffs above the village vulnerable to landslides.
The threat of landslides exists due to a large thermal area on a fault line above Waihi known as the "Steaming Hills."
Waihi was buried beneath a massive slide 163 years ago, which killed 60 people, including the tribe’s chief.
The community has not experienced a major landslide since 1905.
Geothermal springs that have recently emerged on the slopes, along with other geological changes, make the threat of a disastrous landslide even greater, officials said.