Residents of an entire street say their homes are a write-off after the land liquefied underneath and swamped the properties in sewage and silt.

Victoria faced its worst floods in more than a decade at the weekend, with 200mm of rain falling in some areas.

The wild winds forecast for Canterbury tonight are unlikely to reach full force in Christchurch.

Safety first is the message authorities want to convey as many displaced locals face a second night away from their homes.

It was the earthquake New Zealanders have been told for years to expect. And Christchurch got it.

Rebuilding the damage caused by yesterday's earthquake could create a much-needed economic upturn for Canterbury.

All non-essential procedures booked in Christchurch for tomorrow have been cancelled as a result of disruptions from the earthquake.

Most of the CBD remains closed off to the general public, in contrast to the outer suburbs where people are going about business as usual.

One of the casualties of yesterday morning's massive Canterbury earthquake was the historic Deans family homestead in Homebush.

KiwiRail is sending almost 300,000 litres of water to Christchurch, where around 15% of people remain without it.

Audrey Young finds Canterbury farmers are sticking together after yesterday's massive earthquake.

Christchurch was "inevitably going to be brought to its knees" by an earthquake because of the nature of the ground it stands on, a scientist says.

Some residents in the earthquake zone may be without power until the end of the week, says lines company Orion.

"It's essentially a ghost town. You can see utter devastation," said Prime Minister John Key.

Weather analyst Philip Duncan gives his account of the Christchurch earthquake.

"It's a reminder to us all that in the case of natural disasters, it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when."

"It was like a giant had picked up our house and was just shaking it, shaking and shaking," said one resident.

The 7.1 magnitude tremor that shook the South Island caused the most damage since the 1931 earthquake that flattened Napier.

The displaced of Christchurch were last night in makeshift shelters across the city, fearful of waking up again to more violent tremors.

They were partying, working, sleeping - then came 90 minutes of terror they will never forget. This is their story.

Kyle Scott and Liz Blatch still had their wedding at Darfield's Oak historic homestead only hours after the 7.1 earthquake.