The farmers on the outskirts of the town Waiau are desperate.
An underground water pipe that 100 farms rely on to feed stock is broken. Without it, a critical rural water link is inoperable.
The farmers also face another challenge - four days since the quake, they remain without power.
Contractors are wrestling with broken lines and buckled poles.
And this is the source of the other major problem - the pump house was used to help deliver water.
"The power here is for the dairy cockies to get the pumps on," says MainPower lines supervisor Noel Boyd.
"It's a very big problem. We've heard the pipe from the source to the reservoir about 3 kilometres away is just munted," says Bob Kingscote, Chairman of the Waiau Rural Water Scheme.
The solution is constructing a new system above the broken land - emergency tankers will also be used to resupply stock.
Farmer Don Galletly's situation is even more complex. His milking shed is ruined - he's already lost his 960 cows - they've been moved to other farms.
And it's not just his shed that's taken a battering. The farm manager's house is also a complete write off. This water tank has been destroyed - it's lifted more than a metre out of the ground.
The farm, known as the Lockness, had been in the family for more than half a century - Mr Galletly's operation is over for the meantime.
However, he'll pick up the pieces and says he's determined to carry on.
Newshub.
