West Coast police today advised motorists to take extra care when driving through the Lewis Pass and Maruia Valley on SH7 and SH65 as traffic numbers build up.

Police are checking that people have a legitimate reason to be in quake-hit areas.

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

A mercy mission into rural quake-hit Marlborough has led to donations for farming communities and offers of help.

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

Our photographers and reporters share some of the images captured after yesterday's quakes.

The truck driver who narrowly escaped being buried in the quake won't be in the dog box for calling his boss before his partner.

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.

Marlborough Mayor John Leggett says property damage appears to be more widely dispersed across the district than during the previous Seddon earthquakes.

Scientists investigating the mechanics of the earthquake say it faulted in the same way the February 22, 2011, Christchurch Earthquake did.

Newstalk ZB listeners share their stories of the night.

Scholarship exams have been cancelled, but NCEA exams can go ahead in schools if they are not earthquake damaged, NZQA says.

Heavy rain and wind is forecast to batter the upper South Island and lower North Island this afternoon.

Primary responsibility for civil defence emergency management at a local level rests with your local council.

There are casualties following this morning's quakes, acting Civil Defence minister Gerry Brownlee says.

It's beginning to feel like summer in some parts of the country, with pohutukawa bursting into bloom. "People have been getting a

District health boards report bad stuff that happens to patients

A group of Scott Watson supporters today began a series of marches to highlight their case that he is wrongly imprisoned for the Marlborough Sounds murders.

Elisabeth Easther dives into the history of the Marlborough Sounds' best kept secret.

A truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed a Christchurch father of three today pleaded not guilty.

Changes undermine value of national bowel screening programme, expert says.

A man has been rescued by helicopter after his float plane crashed in the Marlborough Sounds this evening. The Nelson Marlborough

Despite law professor raising questions over perplexing Sounds double murder, convicted killer's father says "the system doesn't want to listen".

A tramper has been rescued from the bush after spending a cold and wet night high on Mt Stanley in the outer Marlborough Sounds.

A winemaker is hooked on pinot and the land where it's grown, writes Stephanie Holmes.

A housebus and sand-blasting shed have been extensively damaged by fire in Marlborough.

A woman who died after being hit by a car early on Sunday morning has been named by Marlborough Police.

With river levels rising, three women at the Thor Hut in the Kahurangi National Park were rescued by helicopter.

A 15-year-old mountain biker was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter yesterday.