On an impulse, Jamie Brosnahan and Jonathon O'Neill spent Sunday night in Kaikoura. The Rotorua couple were heading for Hanmer Springs

Tourists endure rough night in welfare centre and cars but rescue flights under way today.

JS141116NADQUAKE115.JPG A planned surf lesson for a group of international students at Sandy Bay went ahead yesterday after instructors

An English couple was brought to tears describing their nightmare New Zealand holiday.

The HMNZS Canterbury is expected to arrive in Kaikoura tomorrow.

'Long, scary night' for family as the earth continues to roll.

Engineers hard at work to restore road access to seaside hamlet.

Three cows left standing on an island of land have drawn international attention.

The evacuation, via sea, of tourists stranded in Kaikoura is still a day away.

A historic homestead is in tatters and the four other properties on a north Canterbury sheep and beef farm were damaged in today's

The Clarence River has burst its banks, with residents being told to move to high ground immediately, as aftershocks continue to rock the country.

A search is underway for six kayakers after kayaks and other gear was found abandoned on the flooded Clarence River just before 5pm. A

Three cows have been luckily - or unluckily - stranded on an island of land, surrounded by collapsed earth from landslides near Kaikoura.

Most schools will open tomorrow, following hundreds of closures after the quake.

STL driver Dennis Dunn caused some alarm when he was feared buried but has been found safe and well between two large landslips.

Today's earthquake can trigger emotional trauma for Cantabrians even though there's been little physical damage in Christchurch, a psychologist says.

COMMENT: Among the bricks and shattered glass, we feared the worst. It appeared as if a hand grenade had been tossed inside the stylish colonial cottage.

Power is gradually being restored in Kaikoura, but sewerage systems and water supplies are still down and it could be days before they are back up and running, Civil Defence says.

Prime Minister Key and Minister Gerry Brownlee estimate the clean-up will run into the hundreds of millions and clearing the debris could take months.

There's a 12 per cent chance of a big quake hitting before midnight. That's the prediction from government scientists GeoNet.

Images are starting to come out of Kaikoura where widespread damage and one death has occurred.

Scientists investigating the mechanics of the earthquake say it faulted in the same way the February 22, 2011, Christchurch Earthquake did.

Newstalk ZB listeners share their stories of the night.

Scholarship exams have been cancelled, but NCEA exams can go ahead in schools if they are not earthquake damaged, NZQA says.

There are casualties following this morning's quakes, acting Civil Defence minister Gerry Brownlee says.

More than one fault may be responsible for this morning's earthquakes.

Nigel Gately was arrested for breaching his parole conditions and is now in custody.

A convicted rapist now being sought by police had been commended for his post-release progress only months before when the parole board said it did not need to see him again.

Who We Are: David Fisher and videographer Mark Mitchell visit Hokitika in their search for what it means to be Kiwi in 2016.

Fifty-year-old man had been fishing at the Clarence River mouth when he was swept away.