The Otago Daily Times, on a flight out of Kaikoura on Wednesday, flew over huge slips, cracked roads, blocked tunnels and twisted railway lines — damage it is estimated could take months to fix, if it ever is.
The flight also passed over sections of seashore that have lifted by 1m or more, making high tide appear like low tide, where whale-watching boats now rest virtually on the bottom, and raising questions about the location of new underwater hazards.
And, as we hover over isolated communities, the extent of the damage — and the fact it is not just a tragedy for Kaikoura — becomes clear.
So, too, do the clusters of people toughing it out in small settlements, who hear the helicopter’s rotors and emerge from their homes to look up in hope and wave.
At Goose Bay, south of Kaikoura, where tourists were evacuated by helicopter on Monday afternoon, a brief touchdown allowed the Garden City Helicopters crew to check on those left behind.
The settlement was surrounded by steep hills scarred by big slips, and those who remained said they needed a long list of supplies.
Another settlement, at Oaro, showed signs of coastal inundation from Monday morning’s earthquake-generated waves, and people there told the crew they also desperately needed supplies.
The helicopter dodged power lines and touched down in a paddock so crew could drop off a small box of medicine, before hurrying south to Cheviot as fuel ran low.
And as they did, the airspace around them hummed with helicopters as the relief effort continued.