TPR57C the land has been severely damaged , long stretches of highway are ruined and will take a very long time to repair properly (years) infrastructure (sewerage , mains water) is a problem in Kaikoura but is being dealt to . Many buildings and homes are structurally damaged , this is going to take years to resolve . It shouldn't , but having experienced the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes , I am disappointed to say that is the reality.
Access to Kaikoura via the inland road was a possibility , but there has been a lot of local rain and the broken hillsides are at high risk of further slips , so no one is allowed thru yet.
People are being people , some coping , others traumatized and will have difficulty recovering their sense of equalibrium.
Sadly 2 people lost their lives , one in a house collapse , the other via a medical incident while escaping the home.
On the plus side , the quake was at midnight and few were out on the roads, so no reported incidents.
Choppers have been flying overhead here multiple times a day since the event . The first few were interesting , now , not so much. Interesting how the extra ordinary becomes ordinary .
Thanks for your thoughts.