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.

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.

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

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 truck driver is thought to have been on the phone to his nephew the moment his vehicle plunged down a cliff near Kaikoura, his brother says.

A truck driver is thought to have been on the phone to his nephew the moment his vehicle plunged down a cliff near Kaikoura, his brother says.

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.