West Coast police today advised motorists to take extra care when driving through the Lewis Pass and Maruia Valley on SH7 and SH65 as traffic numbers build up.

Tonnes of food, water and supplies are being driven into earthquake-hit Waiau by big-hearted Cantabrians.

KiwiRail is reportedly looking into whether it can ferry people and freight from Wellington to Lyttelton.

The head of Canterbury Tourism is urging people to keep their travel plans to the region after Monday's earthquake. Christchurch

Supermarket shelves in the earthquake-stricken region of North Canterbury will remain stocked if the Ports of Auckland has any say in it.

Financial aid is pouring in for earthquake victims with more than $50,000 already raised in the Red Cross appeal.

Port of Malborough expects to find out today whether the ferry terminal building at Picton is structurally sound.

Acting Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says the cost of the earthquakes was still to emerge, but it would be in the billions of dollars.

Tourists are heading to the South Island's West Coast in their droves after the devastating east coast earthquake.

Incredible images illustrate just how devastating the earthquake was to the country.

COMMENT: The navies of the United States, Australia and Canada are joining New Zealand's earthquake relief effort.

An Alexandra satellite research centre could be operational by mid-next year.

As Canterbury Civil Defence declared a region-wide state of emergency, people from around South Island banned together to support those affected by quake.

Kaikoura's tourism industry fears for the future after this week's quake raised the seabed by at least a metre.

Civil Defence said the national support effort will continue tomorrow following Monday morning's 7.5 magnitude earthquake near Kaikoura.

Vital supplies are being flown in as Kaikoura has less than 24 hours of drinking water left.

Most phone services affected by yesterday's earthquake have now been fixed, Vodafone says.

NZTA contractors have been working urgently throughout the day to assess the safety of key South Island state highway routes.

Plans for a ferry between Whanganui and Port Motueka have been revisited. And pending a feasibility study by the council, could have the Mayor's support. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Houses in small community are so badly quake-damaged that locals are considering using diggers to bring them down today.

Learn from Christchurch and subsidise businesses hit by the devastating Kaikoura earthquake, former mayor Sir Bob Parker has told the Government.

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.