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.

A humpback whale missing most of its tail has been spotted off Kaikoura.

A man who was rescued by a helicopter pilot who today admitted a flying breach said "there's no way a man can be convicted for saving someone's life".

A seemingly "out of it" topless woman has been spotted walking along State Highway 1 near Ohau Point north of Kaikoura this afternoon.

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck off the coast of Kaikoura.

The parents of a baby girl left in a campervan on a hot day said they were "regularly checking on their child".

Fingers crossed, you will be blessed with a refreshing sea breeze as you tackle these top walks.

Arden Rooney may not have open-class form but the man who knows best says he is a genuine topliner.

A search will continue this morning for a truck driver who has been missing since his vehicle crashed off a bank south of Kaikoura early on Wednesday.

A search will continue throughout the evening for a truck driver who has been missing since his vehicle crashed off a bank south of Kaikoura more than 24 hours ago.

A crane arrived this afternoon at the scene of a truck crash on the Kaikoura coast in which the driver has been missing since this morning.

A new evidence-based book has questioned whether whale and dolphin watching are the low-impact, sustainable industries many believe them to be.

The wife of a man who died while checking his crayfish pots near Kaikoura on Tuesday says her husband loved nothing more than his garden and fishing.

The search for a 79-year-old fisherman missing since a boat capsized off the Kaikoura coastline yesterday morning resumed at first light today.

Searchers are yet to locate a 79-year-old fisherman, missing off the Kaikoura coast after a boat he was in capsized this morning.

The body of a man has been found by searchers on the shoreline near Kaikoura after a boat capsized this morning.