An upgraded 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck 20km south-east of Hanmer Springs, Geonet says.
The small North Canterbury township of Waiau is feared to be worst hit following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in the early hours of this morning.
Power is out and phone lines are down but the potted information coming into Cheviot police and fire is that it has received widespread damage. Residents have been told help might not be coming "any time soon".
Entry to the town has been closed after the violent shaking ripped open the roads. A lot of the roads out of Waiau were inaccessible due to cracks and road dropping in places.
The Waiau river bridge has been badly damaged, with reports it has sunk as much as 400mm.
Residents have had to walk across one of the township's bridge to reach help.
A woman said a friend had posted on Facebook rural residents had gone over the damage structure in the dark to make it to the evacuation centre.
"They managed to drive to the Waiau bridge but they had to walk over the Waiau bridge because it's not in a very good way. Most of the residents are at the school."
A community refuge area has been set up at the local tennis courts.
However, those at the epicentre of today's severe quake have been told they should not expect help "any time soon".
Resident Matthew Hedgcock said shaken residents had been told to hunker down and cope without outside assistance for the meantime.
"We are just sitting ducks at the moment as the civil defence have said that they aren't planning on coming out here anytime soon ."
He said a few people were shaken up but no one was injured that he was aware of.
He said there was no reception in Waiau at the moment and residents have had to go up to Waiau hill to get reception.
Elsewhere damage has also been reported in Cheviot and Wellington.
The largest shake hit just after 12am and has been upgraded to 7.5 magnitude and ongoing aftershocks, many over magnitude 5, are being felt.
Waves of up to 2m have already begun to roll in near Kaikoura and Civil Defence are warning bigger ones of up to 5m could hit the East Coast of both Islands.
Residents in low lying areas should head for higher ground.
While there are no reports of any fatalities a man has been injured after his car rolled when it struck a strip of quake-damaged road in North Canterbury.
She was woken by the quake, and said it was "very unnerving".
Highest waves are expected between Marlborough and Banks Peninsula. There is a threat for all NZ coast. Stay off beaches. #eqnzpic.twitter.com/bkEbyKkCsd
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) November 13, 2016
Photos show damaged walls, upturned shelves following magnitude-7.8 earthquake in New Zealand pic.twitter.com/NWNDQ37mkq
"We live about halfway between Hanmer Springs and Christchurch and it was a significant shake, I have felt several aftershocks and it is very unnerving."
There had been reports from local residents that buildings were damaged and water tanks had been shaken loose, she said.
She said State Highway 7, that runs from Waipara on the east coast through to Greymouth on the west, was closed due to damage to the roads.
Journalist Steve Braunias was in Wellington when he felt the quake.
"It began very slowly...the bed seemed to be twitching and it very quickly built." He was on the seventh floor of the Comfort Hotel on Cuba St.
Image 1 of 26: Damage to shopfronts in Picton Photo / Rob Burn Facebook
"It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die. It was swaying side to side."
He took cover under a piece of furniture.
The swaying seemed to last for 70 to 80 seconds, he said.
The sirens are now off - but the message remains the same. Stay clear of all beaches and low lying areas by the immediate coastline.
UPDATE: All good to go home if home is not right beside the beach or right next to the water / coast. Stay clear of all beaches, Petone Beach, Eastern Bay beaches and around to the Wainuiomata Coast - this includes the Hutt River up to Ava (Moera) Railway Bridge.. Obviously, stay out of the water.
All other areas are in Lower Hutt are OK. ^JL
"It just sort of died down and I went to the window to see if the city was in ruins, but it was actually reassuring - I could see all these people turning lights on." Outside the hotel, other guests and residents had left buildings and were planning to leave Wellington.
