Several cars drove past an unwell and elderly quake victim, dressed in her pyjamas as she struggled to higher ground with her walking

Tourism leaders fear the image of New Zealand as a destination will be harmed by the earthquakes.

Preliminary modelling suggests that the earthquake was caused by a rupture of a northeast-striking fault t, but this may be a more complex event.

Richie McCaw, who has been airlifting stranded tourists out of Kaikoura, says the devastation from the air looks "pretty crazy".

Aftershocks continue around Kaikoura this morning.

A helicopter pilot says he could smell the fresh earth uncovered by the Kaikoura earthquake hundreds of metres in the air as he flew above the scene.

Tourists will be ranked according to need as the evacuation of Kaikoura begins.

A Dutch tourist waiting to be evacuated from Kaikoura says the people of the earthquake-damaged-town are her heroes.

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

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.

HMNZS Canterbury is sailing to Kaikoura loaded with aid supplies and will bring back tourists and residents.

Most of Spark's South Island broadband and landline network is hanging by a thread. A cable running along the island's east coast

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

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.

Blood poured down Lindsay Collins' face as he raced down the stairs of his century-old Waiau pub.

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

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.