Surrounded by whānau ready to feast on eel and crayfish brings great comfort to 78-year-old Rangi Whiunui, who says she was terrified when the quake struck after midnight yesterday.
“I was petrified, I felt the force of the shaking and the drawer fell on my head, the mattress beside me fell down. I didn't know what was happening, as a result I called out to take me outside. I don't remember what happened after that.”
Whiunui says the force of the quake threw her from her bed at their home in Oaro.
“Our home was badly damaged inside. Everything was sprawled and broken, the television had fallen on the ground. Many things were broken, the water pipes in the house, shower and toilet.”
Whuinui suffered a heart attack and stroke last year, only days after burying her daughter who'd passed away of severe emphysema. She went to live with her daughter Tahi in May.
“My daughter is my caregiver,” says Whiunui, “I don't know whether we will return [to Oaro] or live here.”
Ngāi Tahu are sending unperishable food, supplies and water by helicopter to Kaikoura and the surrounding communities today.
“This is about our community,” says Mark Solomon, “[we have] the same message that we gave in Christchurch: look after yourself, look after your family, look after your neighbours.”
Whiunui sustained injuries to her feet, shouders and head, and she will have those medically checked.
The family will return to Oaro in a few days to assess the damage.