Three years on from the first Canterbury earthquake, Mel Edwards and her family are enjoying Dunedin's relaxing pace of life after moving from Christchurch this year.
The 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 4, 2010, served as a prelude to the much more devastating 6.3 magnitude February 2011 quake in which Mrs Edwards lost her home and her business, which were both in Heathcote Valley near the epicentre.
The hardest thing for Mrs Edwards was being in Sydney on business - and away from her husband and three young children - when the February quake struck.
Not knowing until hours after the quake whether her children were safe, and being so far away, was a ''traumatic'' experience.
''When I did go over to Sydney, it briefly did run through my head `what if something happened'. That makes you feel incredibly guilty when it does actually happen,'' she said.
The stress continued long after the quake, with her family having to move five times and her oldest child having been to four different schools since then.
''It stretched on. We have still got nowhere with our home. We are still battling the insurance company.''
With the continued uncertainty over insurance and moving taking a toll on her mental health, the family decided last year to move to Dunedin.
She and her children arrived in Dunedin in January this year, after her husband - who works in the supermarket industry - came south about three months earlier after getting a job here.
The family did not regret the move and were enjoying a more relaxing pace of life in Dunedin.
''Dunedin life is easy. I don't think people realise how easy it is to live here.''
Her two oldest children were settling in well at St Clair School and her business, Blackbird Gifts - which included many items made by her - had got off to a good start after reopening in Highgate about eight weeks ago.
Having family links in Dunedin was a major reason behind the move.
''I grew up here, I went to school here, I went to university here. This is where both sets of our parents are, so it's the obvious choice to come back here.''
One thing that scared her about Dunedin was the number of old and brick buildings, which would probably not fare well in the event of a quake.
''It would be a disaster if anything strikes here.
''It's quite a pessimistic view, but it's definitely always in your head after you have gone through two years of that,'' she said.
The family would make a decision about whether the move to Dunedin was permanent once the insurance situation with their house was sorted out, she said.
