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

Tourists endure rough night in welfare centre and cars but rescue flights under way today.

JS141116NADQUAKE115.JPG A planned surf lesson for a group of international students at Sandy Bay went ahead yesterday after instructors

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.

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

The Clarence River has burst its banks, with residents being told to move to high ground immediately, as aftershocks continue to rock the country.

A search is underway for six kayakers after kayaks and other gear was found abandoned on the flooded Clarence River just before 5pm. A

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.

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.

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.