A single image showing a huge chasm in the earth illustrates just how devastating the North Canterbury earthquake was to rural parts of New Zealand.
The photograph shows a crack running through a hill on farmland in Conway, near Kaikoura, following the 7.5 magnitude quake at midnight on Sunday.
The farm is not far from where cows were left stranded on a small island of grass when the natural disaster destroyed the fields around them.
![Ruptures in farmland around Conway near Kaikoura. Photo / SNPA](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/NIWHGNI2XZI3BXV4BD5KNXVXNU.jpg?auth=3a855fc3342c70a80dadd8b04115e4a32901302ae6c701d419cf8c630d033fe0&width=16&height=24&quality=70&smart=true)
More than 30 aftershocks have occurred in the past two hours, taking the count to over 300 since 6am Tuesday.