A Christchurch woman is going ahead with wedding plans on Friday, despite having been trapped for hours in a collapsed building on the day of the earthquake.
Emma Howard was in the Pyne Gould Corporation building in central Christchurch when the quake hit. She everything went black and she was convinced she was going to die.
Ms Howard says she was thrown from her chair, but was lucky she did not get under her desk which was crushed by concrete from the roof above.
She and six others were rescued after more than six hours. Her fiance, Chris Greenslade, worked with crews outside the building to get her out.
The couple were to be married at Christ the King Church in Burnside on Friday afternoon.
Steady flow to welfare centres
A steady flow of people continues to check into welfare centres in Christchurch, set up to accommodate displaced residents.
There are four wefare centres operating in Christcurch on Friday: Rangiora, Rolleston Community Centre, Burnside High School and Pioneer Stadium.
Away from the central city, people are coping as best as they can.
Supermarkets have been restocked with food since Tuesday's quake though some have been imposing a one-per-customer limit on bread and milk.
Vicky Mathieson left her badly damaged street in Richmond on Thursday to pick up essential supplies at Fendalton New World, such as water, meat and cereal. She was also helping out neighbours as she said some don't want to drive in the difficult conditions.
Jo Cherry moved to Brookside Terrace in Bryndwr after her previous house was damaged in the last September's earthquake. She dislocated her elbow when she was thrown 10 metres during Tuesday's quake.
Ms Cherry says there is liquefaction and sinkholes under the road, and while her neighbour has water, she does not.
Sumner resident Robin Judkins described how a hillside collapsed during an aftershock straight after the quake.
The organiser of the annual Coast to Coast race, Mr Judkins says he was stopped by police in traffic at Heathcote and was looking at Castlerock as the aftershock hit. He compared the sight to an avalanche.
Some residents are frustrated at what they see as lack of specific information. One man, who lives in Mairehau says peole need to know things like exactly which grocery shops and hardware stores are open.
Police say the generosity of the Christchurch community is shining through with continual gestures of goodwill towards the agencies involved in search and rescue efforts.
They say people are delivering hot meals, drinks and other items to those in the frontline as they go about their work.
