A BMW owner is fuming after being forced to abandon her and her partner's only car in a Wellington building due to earthquake risks.

Elisabeth Easther finds country village living at its best in this Wairarapa town.

Engineers say its "unusual" shorter buildings - some of which are old and earthquake-prone - didn't suffer as much damage.

The toll Monday's earthquake has had on Wellington is coming to light after at least four more buildings in the central city were evacuated yesterday.

Earthquake experts have looked at scenarios for both the capital and Auckland. They've crunched the numbers, finding potentially catastrophic scenarios.

Residents of Collina Terrace in Central Wellington have been allowed to briefly return to their houses to collect essential possessions.

Heavy rain and slips have damaged Wellington roads, meaning motorists may notice different road layouts and routes this weekend. NZTA

Cordons have been reduced in Wellington but there is still a significant amount of work to be done on earthquake-damaged buildings.

Wellington Zoo's 20 year old Sumatran Tiger was euthanised today.

Wellington's economic activity has bounced back to relative normality after the CBD shutdown following this week's earthquake.

The Government is being urged to fund an around-the-clock monitoring and warning system for earthquakes and tsunamis in New Zealand.

The Metservice is warning rain, wind, and possible thunderstorms are on the way to Wellington for tonight and tomorrow.

The Wellington region could once again face slips, flooding, and further road closures as bad weather approaches.

The badly damaged building on Molesworth St in Wellington will be 'deconstructed' after third biggest earthquake to strike capital in a century .

Elderly residents of a retirement village in the upmarket suburb of Khandallah are among those who have been evacuated.

Wellington and Kapiti drivers should expect delays due to ongoing repairs and clean-up from slips and flooding, the NZTA warns.

State Highway 2 is closed in both directions as police respond to an incident in Lower Hutt.

New aerial photos show there is much work to be done after Monday's 7.8 quake.

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.

More rain on the way for Wellington.

A protest turned violent this morning when peace activists blocked a defence industry conference in central Auckland.

COMMENT: John Key plans to take his opportunity to ask questions about Trans Pacific Partnership.

The Prime Minister's bodyguards directed traffic around a high rise close to collapse, slips caused traffic chaos and homes were evacuated in capital.

A section of Molesworth Street in Central Wellington has been cordoned off, with people cleared from the area.

The quake-rattled Wellington region has received more rain in 24 hours than it would in a month.

Traffic leaving central Wellington is gridlocked as commuters scramble to leave the rain-battered city.

All train services in Wellington have been suspended until further notice following large aftershocks.

The boss of Statistics NZ has posted a message saying she has been left questioning how such a new building could be so badly affected by yesterday morning's quakes.

A number of schools have been closed due to flooding, affecting some students due to sit exams after afternoon.

Emergency services responded to landslides in Wellington area as wild weather brings flooding and slips to the quake-hit region.