Prime Minister John Key has not ruled out imposing an earthquake levy similar to the flood levy brought in Queensland.

Their task is to enter highly restricted and prohibited areas, putting their lives on the line to save others.

Hope is fading for hundreds of people missing for a second night after the Christchurch earthquake.

The lost English tourist spotted by a helicopter last night in the Kahurangi National Park says he can't describe the relief he felt when he was found.

The English tourist found last night in the Kahurangi National Park had become disoriented and confused the route he was on for another.

Police have resumed their search for an elderly hunter believed to have been swept down a Bay of Plenty river on Saturday.

A rescue boat skipper made one of the toughest decisions of his life today as he tried to rescue two boaties from the boiling surf at Kawhia on the North Island's west coast.

Police say four people are lucky to be alive after two boats capsized on the Kawhia bar in Waikato today and are praising two local boaties and two commercial vessels for their quick rescue.

Police searching for a missing Roxburgh man have found a body in the Clutha River.

An elderly Auckland man survived a Fiordland flood by sitting on a rock for almost two days as water lapped around him.