More than 700 pieces of luggage have been retrieved from hotels within Christchurch's central city red zone and returned to their owners throughout the world.
But the New Zealand Hotel Council says some hotels are too unsafe to enter and guests may never get their belongings back.
Cranes were used to collect the luggage, which has been sent to guests in more than 30 countries.
The council says some items were well hidden, including a $10,000 diamond bracelet wrapped in a sock and thousands of dollars worth of foreign banknotes tucked into a fake soft drink can.
