Five years on, shivers still rattle up Kelly Ennis' spine when she recalls the devastating earthquakes that shook Christchurch into a disaster zone.
Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake which killed 185 people.
A civic memorial service was held in Christchurch to commemorate those who died in the 2011 disaster, and Cantabrians banded together to decorate the city's construction sites by placing flowers in road cones.
Mrs Ennis and husband Tristan, formerly of Christchurch, consider themselves lucky, because they managed to escape the city relatively soon after the second major quake.
"The house we were living in in Christchurch had quite a lot of damage to it.
"My daughter Maddison was only 5 months old at the very first earthquake [September 2010], and it was really horrendous.
"We didn't feel that it was safe to have a really young family there. We just wanted to get away.''
Mrs Ennis said trying to find more accommodation, dealing with insurance companies and the EQC, all while worrying whether the next aftershock might injure their daughter, was very stressful.
When the second, more destructive earthquake struck on February 22, the family decided to leave the city.
"I think the pressure of the continuous aftershocks was really hard to deal with, and it wasn't until we came back down to Dunedin that that pressure came off us and we realised how stressful it was when we were there.
"Coming here lifted a huge weight off our shoulders.''
Mrs Ennis said she grew up in Dunedin, so moving back to the city made sense.
Their new life in Mosgiel was better than she could ever have imagined.
"It was the best decision we've ever made - absolutely.
"I have my own business here now. It's a bakery called Wooden Table.
"Coming into the Mosgiel community and having small children, it's such a great community here. We've made so many friends.
"We've never ever looked back. We love it here.''
The couple have since had their second daughter, Mackenzie.
Mrs Ennis said she felt for those who remain in Christchurch, particularly after last week's magnitude 5.7 aftershock.
"Obviously, they're going through it all again. The pressure and the stress is so hard to deal with.
"I think Christchurch is going to be an amazing city and somewhere that will be great to visit in the future, but not for a long time.''
She said people in Christchurch were still moving from the city because of the continuing earthquakes.
"A few of our friends have moved over to Australia, and the ones that have stayed behind are in their late 70s, so they will never leave.''
• Enterprise Dunedin director John Christie said it was still early days, but he believed Dunedin would again see an influx of Christchurch residents.
"Certainly, after the major earthquakes five years ago, there was a lot of activity that came out of Christchurch into Dunedin, in terms of people looking for employment and relocation options.
"I would expect that again after the recent earthquake, but probably to a lesser extent.''
Highland Park Mosgiel subdivision developer Syd Brown also expected another surge of newcomers from Christchurch, but believed it could be about three to four months before it would be seen.
"My reading of it is, it takes quite a while for the trauma of an earthquake to actually have an effect.
"They stew on it, and then they think they'll get through it, and then another aftershock comes, and then in the finish it builds up and they say it's time we moved on.
"Then we start fielding their inquiries. I think the fallout from this latest earthquake could still be two or three months away.''
