Alongside the carnage of Pakistan's massive earthquake came a new creation: a small island of mud, stone and bubbling gas pushed forth from the seabed.

An application developed by Christchurch researchers allows people to walk its streets and see how they looked before the earthquakes.

Faults off the West Coast are capable of causing earthquakes up to magnitude 7.8, seismic research shows. They are the type that generate tsunamis and it's unknown when they will rupture.

Three men were charged by police.

The earthquake-damaged Christchurch Town Hall has been saved after city councillors unanimously voted in favour of a $127.5 million full restoration plan today.

A restoration plan to save the earthquake-damaged Christchurch Town Hall has been hailed as a "masterpiece" by the internationally acclaimed building's architect.

Rodney Hide is putting his hand up to say that we are overdoing the safety thing.

Central Wellington residents forced out of their homes due to an earthquake-damaged lift shaft are expected to be given the all-clear to return on Friday.

A Christchurch pensioner "roughed up'' by armed police while protecting his quake-hit property has welcomed watchdog findings which slams the officers' actions.

Westpac Stadium has received the all-clear to host Saturday's Bledisloe Cup rugby clash in Wellington.

More than 4000 claims have poured into the Earthquake Commission following the central New Zealand earthquakes back in July, and damage assessment will begin today.

A sequence of quakes rattling the centre of the country appears to be shifting down the South Island and away from Wellington.

The Red Cross has wound down its operations in Seddon after Friday's earthquake damaged homes, leaving some uninhabitable.

People in central New Zealand are living with a 20 per cent - one in five - chance of another magnitude six quake in the next week, a scientist says.

Residents in one of the Marlborough streets battered by this week's quakes are seeking solace from each other while anxiously awaiting aftershocks.

Residents were fleeing Seddon last night after a 5.5 earthquake rattled the quake-weary town.

The weekend events calendar in the capital was shaken up by Friday's jolt and subsequent aftershocks.

Wracked with sobs, Doug Avery describes the last 20 terrifying, shaky hours living a few kilometres from the epicentre of Friday's big quake.