Reality hits home as clean-up begins

The trauma of losing a home in earthquake-ravaged Christchurch is taking an increasingly emotional toll on residents, some of whom are facing days, or weeks, of living without the basics, coping with contaminated tap water and failed sewerage services.

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake caused damage to homes, buildings and infrastructure, the cost of which could reach $2 billion, and left thousands homeless.

• Photos: Canterbury in pieces from quakes force

• Sense of disbelief in wake of night-time devastation 

• More on the Canterbury earthquake...

Authorities say it could be weeks before all damage is assessed and people can return to their homes.

Many condemned homes will never be lived in again and face demolition.

Parts of central Christchurch were being reopened last night after Saturday's massive tremor, but weary residents face ongoing disruption as schools, public buildings and many businesses remain closed.

Much of the central city remains cordoned off, but engineers have made progress inspecting about 500 damaged buildings.

"Basically, just a few streets, the area that is cordoned will just be smaller," Christchurch City Council spokeswoman Rachel Graham said last night.

Visitors were urged to stay away for at least a week, unless absolutely necessary, as the city comes to terms with its severely-damaged infrastructure, Civil Defence says.

Forecast bad weather held off in Christchurch yesterday, allowing hundreds of workers, those who had lost their homes in the quake, and some who had lost their livelihoods, to get on with cleaning up rubble, silt and water.

Mayor Bob Parker warned fatigue was setting in for people who had been working since the quake struck at 4.36am on Saturday.

He thanked the "heroes and heroines" who had been continuing with their tasks.

The state of emergency in the city will be reassessed today, but the mayor believes it might need to be extended. .

The 7pm-to-7am curfew remains in force in central Christchurch, with police warning the area is dangerous because of earthquake damage.

Up to 20% of the city is still without drinkable water. Householders everywhere are being advised to boil water.

The mood in the city was strange. Everywhere there were rubber-neckers, smiling, pointing and taking photos. In the city they were on foot, in the country they were driving. All over they were causing traffic jams.

One Kaiapoi resident also told Radio New Zealand that the constant flow of sightseers was distressing residents, and urged people to stay away.

Other residents dealing with the aftermath of the quake did not notice them, as, in many cases, the stark reality of what lay before them finally began to sink in.

On Barbadoes St, Mark Iddles surveyed the remains of his tattoo parlour.