Govt says a public message about unusual seismic activity under the North Island was not a cause for alarm.

Tourism will weather last month's magnitude 7.8 quake, but Treasury is warning the total cost of the disaster could reach up to $3 billion.

The moderate quake, which was 24km deep, jolted Kaikoura just before 6.15pm.

A dream to run a surf school from a new seaside home is out of reach after the earthquake left a Kaikoura family out of pocket.

The Kaikoura Earthquake will cost the Government up to $3 billion, the Treasury estimates.

Lotto will be donating all profits from next Saturday's draw to the quake relief.

Primary school children in earthquake-hit Kaikoura returned to school and a sense of normality today.

INTERACTIVE: Dams created by landslides in this month's 7.8 quake have been pin-pointed on a detailed new map created by GNS Science and Environment Canterbury.

GeoNet technicians reach new heights of Kiwi ingenuity as they work in the quake zone. .

This cutie was amazingly discovered five days after the 7.8 magnitude quake.

Greens back Kaikoura quake legislation despite voicing concerns over further damage to environment and sea life.

Bills to allow the dredging of Kaikoura Harbour and other quake recovery work will pass under Urgency in Parliament today.

Geologists discover three large historic quakes on an active southern fault and suspected another big one was due to hit.

The signs of summer are among us with pohutakawa trees flowering already and forecasters say the official first day of the season on Thursday will be calm and dry.

Dr Kate Pedley went to find ruptures in the Waiau region around the original epicentre. The amount of associated rockfall, landslides and slumps were incredible.

A house moved eight metres in the Kaikoura earthquake, scientists have established.

Two weeks after the catastrophic 7.8 quake, Kaikoura continues to be rocked by nasty late night tremors.

An 18-year-old university student cycled over two hours along Kaikoura's quake-stricken coastline driven by one goal - to catch a flight.

The Earthquake Commission [EQC] has received more than 11,000 claims since Kaikoura's monster quake.

COMMENT: The shaking may have shattered homes, dreams and livelihoods, but the spirit of the people remains unbroken.

Nearly all routes in and out of Kaikoura are closed today as high winds across the South Island mean small planes and helicopters are grounded, Civil Defence says.

Wellingtonians and people living on the top of the South Island were shaken awake as a strong quake rattled the centre of the country.

A stark image of three cows stranded on an island created by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kaikoura captured global attention last week.

Kaikoura people are told to enjoy the little things to cope with last Monday's 7.8 quake.

Kaikoura residents and visitors will be able to dash for freedom this afternoon as Inland Rd opens for a short time.

For the first since last Monday's quake people may get to drive out of Kaikoura.

The demolition of three buildings in Wellington will be brought forward in light of last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Two of

Canterbury Civil Defence hopes to reopen one lane of the Inland Rd into Kaikoura tomorrow afternoon.

At spots where the boulders still teeter above, the convoy spreads out a little. Better to have one or two trucks wiped out than several, it's explained to me ... The brutal logic makes sense.

Kaikoura Civil Defence controller Murray Sinclair says he would rather have one or two members of the Goose Bay community be upset, than risk anyone's lives.