West Coast residents have been asked to protect the broadband fibre optic cable after the eastern cable was lost in the earthquakes early yesterday.

Restoring highway access to Kaikoura will take months, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

Steven Joyce has been charged with putting together a "business continuity package" for Kaikoura.

Mid Canterbury farmers are on standby to take dairy cows from quake-affected North Canterbury dairy farmers.

Several cars drove past an unwell and elderly quake victim, dressed in her pyjamas as she struggled to higher ground with her walking

Tourism leaders fear the image of New Zealand as a destination will be harmed by the earthquakes.

The alpine tourist hotspot of Hanmer Springs, usually a thriving, buzzing place, resembles a ghost town.

Freight companies are turning to sea to deliver goods to the South Island in the wake of the week's earthquake.

Thieves stole a number of firearms from a South Island house while the occupants were evacuated due to yesterday's tsunami warning.

Marlborough Civil Defence may evacuate six more people from the Clarence River area this morning.

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

Prime Minister John Key said several world leaders had contacted him about the earthquakes, including an attempt by US President-elect Donald Trump.

An English couple was brought to tears describing their nightmare New Zealand holiday.

'Long, scary night' for family as the earth continues to roll.

Three cows left standing on an island of land have drawn international attention.

Thousands of people remained trapped in Kaikoura last night without water, sewerage systems and phone reception after a massive quake struck South Island.

HMNZS Canterbury is sailing to Kaikoura loaded with aid supplies and will bring back tourists and residents.

Government forces including transport ship Canterbury will be mobilised to get about 1000 tourists out of earthquake hit Kaikoura.

Customers of BNZ and Kiwibank may face delays in getting through to the lenders, with both banks' primary call-centres based in Wellington.

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

Most schools will open tomorrow, following hundreds of closures after the quake.

What you need to know about the earthquake and tsunami and what people in the above coastal areas should do.

Today's earthquake can trigger emotional trauma for Cantabrians even though there's been little physical damage in Christchurch, a psychologist says.

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.

The Sky Tower will be lit in black and white tonight, as a mark of solidarity with the rest of the country following today's earthquakes. Acting

A 100-year-old woman and her daughter-in-law were rescued from the rubble of an historic homestead, while her son tragically did not make it.

Students at an Auckland school were 20 minutes into their history scholarship exam this morning before it was cancelled.

Circle_see_more_DP.epsmattmartinsmile.epsFUTURE FOCUS: Members of the American Council of Young Political Leaders visited Rotorua

When Tess Prentice got tossed out of bed by the giant earthquake that destroyed her cliff-top family home, she thought it was the "end of the world".