All Black star brings food and smiles to quake zone's children

Tana Umaga watched from afar as Christchurch was devastated by February's earthquake.

But it left a lasting impression on the former All Black captain and his family.

"You've just got to feel for the children. I've got children myself and I can only imagine what I would be doing, or how my kids would be affected by it," the father of four said during a visit to the quake-ravaged city yesterday to deliver care packages and lift spirits.

"As is always the case when something like this happens, my wife got our disaster kit together again. We've got water and tinned food and batteries and things.

We're fortunate that where we live [the quake] didn't affect us, but we're obviously taking the lesson from it."

Umaga said it was startling to see some of the destruction as he drove through Christchurch for the first time since the quake, but what surprised him most was how random it was.

His nephew's home in Christchurch was wrecked in the disaster.

Another Christchurch man had told him about being in the city centre when the quake hit and being unable to drive to his child's creche in the outer suburbs, so he ran as fast as he could to see if the child was okay.

"I would be thinking the same," Umaga said.

"I suppose as a parent, you don't so much worry about yourself. You worry about the little ones who can't fend for themselves as much."

Coming from Wellington, Umaga has experienced smaller quakes. After the big September quake in Canterbury, he was in Christchurch with his Counties-Manukau team for a provincial match when an aftershock struck the night before the game.

"It wasn't a major one, but a lot of our boys who hadn't been in them ... they all sprinted downstairs to the [hotel] reception. I was just kind of stretching on my bed, and thought nothing of it really."

Umaga yesterday helped unload some of the 500 care packages for 18 Christchurch schools organised by children's charity KidsCan.

The packages included food and household essentials for the children to take home. KidsCan is also organising for shoes, raincoats and thermals to be delivered to children in need before the cold Christchurch winter.

Linwood Ave School principal Christine Harris said it had been upsetting to see children going without after the quake, and not having anything to look forward to.

But Umaga's visit to the school had generated a lot of excitement.

Umaga, who now plays for the Chiefs in the Super 15, said it was good to see the children smiling again.