The earthquake has now been upgraded to a 7.8.

There is no Adventist church in the town, although I understand some Adventists do live there.

The relief effort has been comprehensive, with tourists removed by helicopter and navy ship.  Many nations have assisted, as they were in attendance to the north of the country for exercises coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the NZ navy.  U.S., Japan, Malaysia and Australia have assisted, among others.

The damage is extensive.  Gullies exist where they weren't before. The seabed has been lifted 2 metres.  The state highway 1 has been closed, possibly for the good part of a year, and a detour adds 90 minutes to the north south trip.

The capital city, Wellington, was also impacted.  Initially it was thought that the damage was light, but it is now evident that some high rise buildings will need to be deconstructed.