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.

Red Cross is providing psychological support to communities affected by this week's earthquake, as people prepare to spend another night in welfare centres.

LIVE BLOG: US warship on its way to Kaikoura as aftershocks continue to shake the North Canterbury region.

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.

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.

Preliminary modelling suggests that the earthquake was caused by a rupture of a northeast-striking fault t, but this may be a more complex event.

Richie McCaw, who has been airlifting stranded tourists out of Kaikoura, says the devastation from the air looks "pretty crazy".

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

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.

Most of Spark's South Island broadband and landline network is hanging by a thread. A cable running along the island's east coast

A 100-year-old woman pulled alive from the rubble of her farmhouse had lived on the homestead for 64 years. Margaret Edgar was asleep

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.