Hundreds of camper vans are now ready for the earthquake displaced residents of Christchurch, but the demand for what is cramped and slightly claustrophobic accommodation is yet to be proven.
The collapse of the Christchurch Cathedral during the devastating earthquake of February the 22nd struck a powerful blow to the core of Canterbury and New Zealand as a whole.
As we go to air, Christchurch property and business owners people are being allowed into the cordoned-off central city for the first time since the earthquake twelve days ago.
The Prime Minister, John Key, has just announced that a national memorial service to mark the Christchurch earthquake will be held in the city on Friday March the 18th.
Survivors of February's devastating earthquake in Christchurch are astounded the Royal Commission won't investigate whether anyone should be held liable for the collapse of so many central city buildings.
On the eve of the memorial service for the Christchurch earthquake, the Labour party is laying into the Government's handling of the city's ditching as a Rugby World Cup venue.
The reality of just how many historic buildings will be lost to the Christchurch earthquake is now becoming apparent with Civil Defence adding another 123 buildings to the demolition list.
With the silencing of the Cathedral bells in Christchurch following February's earthquake there are now just six places in New Zealand where a full set of bells can be rung.
A Christchurch businessman has told the Earthquake Royal Commission the city council was a nightmare to deal with when he was trying to strengthen his building before the September quake.
Members of No. 40 Squadron, a transport squadron in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, preparing the Hercules to move people out of Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Knox Church, Bealey Avenue". There is a foam heart pegged to the fence reading, "We're all in this together. Christchurch, we love you!".
Members of No. 40 Squadron, a transport squadron in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, preparing the Hercules to move people out of Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing among broken furniture and rubble in the room of an earthquake-damaged house in Christchurch.
A photograph of volunteers from the Wellington Emergency Management Office in Wellington Airport. The volunteers travelled to Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake to help with the emergency response.
A photograph of a residential street in Christchurch. Piles of bricks have been stacked on the sides of the road. A caravan is parked on the footpath to the left.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team using a sledgehammer to break open the window of a building in the Christchurch central city.
An aerial photograph the Christchurch Central City. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Hotel Grand Chancellor closely surrounded by the Westpac Building and the Holiday Inn".
The Royal New Zealand Air Force's C-130 Hercules almost ready to take off. The Hercules was being used to evacuate people from Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A stall selling mosaics of broken mirrors in the shape of houses, crosses and cathedrals. The photographer comments, "The Quake Art on sale at the AandP Show in Christchurch".
A photograph of volunteers from the Wellington Emergency Management Office in Wellington Airport. The volunteers travelled to Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake to help with the emergency response.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing amongst broken furniture and rubble in the room of an earthquake-damaged house in Christchurch.
Members of the central and lower North Island Territorial Forces clearing silt from a resident's garden in Christchurch. Sapper Nelson Lambert from Palmerston North can be seen pushing a wheelbarrow.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a house in the Christchurch central city. The bricks walls of the building have collapsed and the bricks have spilt into the garden.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force's C-130 Hercules almost ready to take off. The Hercules was being used to evacuate people from Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force refuelling a Iroquois helicopter in Hagley Park. The Iroquois helicopters were used to tour Christchurch after the 22 February 2011 earthquake.
In the early morning of 4th September 2010 the region of Canterbury, New Zealand, was subjected to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The epicentre was located near the town of Darfield, 40 km west of the city of Christchurch. This was the country’s most damaging earthquake since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake (GeoNet, 2010). Since 4th September 2010 the region has been subjected to thousands of aftershocks, including several more damaging events such as a magnitude 6.3 aftershock on 22nd February 2011. Although of a smaller magnitude, the earthquake on 22nd February produced peak ground accelerations in the Christchurch region three times greater than the 4th September earthquake and in some cases shaking intensities greater than twice the design level (GeoNet, 2011; IPENZ, 2011). While in September 2010 most earthquake shaking damage was limited to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, in February all types of buildings sustained damage. Temporary shoring and strengthening techniques applied to buildings following the Darfield earthquake were tested in February 2011. In addition, two large aftershocks occurred on 13th June 2011 (magnitudes 5.7 and 6.2), further damaging many already weakened structures. The damage to unreinforced and retrofitted clay brick masonry buildings in the 4th September 2010 Darfield earthquake has already been reported by Ingham and Griffith (2011) and Dizhur et al. (2010b). A brief review of damage from the 22nd February 2011 earthquake is presented here
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Christ Church Cathedral.
Days after Christchurch was devastated by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, Simon Morton traverses the city, using the Avon River as his route, and finds everyone has a story to tell.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Christ Church Cathedral.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Christ Church Cathedral in Cathedral Square".