While the earthquake clean-up continues, a Canterbury couple are sorting through rubble of a different kind.
Their historic holiday cottage, on the shore line at Little Pigeon Bay, was pushed in and knocked off its piles by a four-metre tsunami.
Over the years, the beach-front view has attracted hundreds of holiday-makers.
But it turns out being just a stone's throw from the water can have serious downfalls, following Monday's 7.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
The bach was knocked off its piles in the early hours of Monday morning, pushed in and twisted by the force of the sea.
Owner Edward Aitken believes the wave was funnelled in by the bay, with the 100-year-old building essentially a sitting bulls-eye.
Insurance assessors are deciding whether the bach can be repaired, or if it will have to be rebuilt.
"We are certainly hoping that they will demolish it and we can rebuild it [at a] slightly higher elevation," said Mr Aitken.
Newshub.
