A Civil Defence helicopter made a nappy run to a remote part of Marlborough to bring supplies to a family with a young baby who have been cut off.

An alternative inland route for ferry traffic has been established running from Picton to Christchurch, via Murchison and the Lewis Pass.

Power, water and road access is slowly being restored to earthquake-hit areas of the South Island as crews work around the clock.

Businesses in quake-hit areas will be paid to keep on staff for at least eight weeks, the Govt says.

Why have there been so many landslides after this earthquake? Could we have known this would happen? Experts shed some light on Kaikoura's devastation.

Questions are being asked about why key government buildings in Wellington have been impacted so badly, as concerns about more buildings emerge.

Kaikoura locals are beginning to join the exodus out of their quake ravaged settlement. With 1000 tourists successfully evacuated

The escalation of the Kaikoura Earthquake in magnitude from 7.5 to 7.8 now puts its power on a par with the equivalent energy release of 400 atomic bombs detonating.

The changes to the freight routes in and out of Canterbury have seen an 18 per cent increase in cost.

Oamaru's little blue penguins have become international sensations with a video of them using an underpass clocking thousands of views.

A multi-million dollar racing car test track situated near Monday's mega-quake epicentre is "pretty much ruined", says its Australian IT tycoon owner.

Prime Minister John Key has promised fast-track help to keep Kaikoura businesses on their feet.

Geotechnical engineers face an "unprecedented" challenge in tackling the many large landslides that have blocked quake-damaged Kaikoura's coastal State Highway 1.

The elevation of Monday's quake from a magnitude 7.5 to 7.8 makes it compare in size only with four other New Zealand quakes in the past 150 years.

It was a day of rescuing travellers stranded in Kaikoura and reassuring those left behind as the PM dropped in to survey the scene in Kaikoura today.

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.

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.

Quake-ravaged regions are bracing for a fresh weather onslaught with heavy rain and bitterly cold gales set to batter central New Zealand in the next 48 hours.

English tourist had just turned in for the night when the earthquake struck. Now the terrified visitor is desperate to get home.

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.