Kaikōura residents say they are being driven out of town because they can't find places to live.
The town is full as it tries to house construction workers as well as families waiting for their earthquake-damaged homes to be repaired.
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Kaikōura local David Dainter has nowhere to live, and has been taken in by a motel in the area.
"I've still got the sleeping bag in the back of the car. It was looking like being the option for a while."
It's a common problem in the seaside town - employees at popular fish-and-chip shop Cooper's Catch say they are being driven out of town.
"One of them just resigned because she's having to leave Kaikōura because of housing," owner Jason Hill says.
Kaikōura is full and overflowing, struggling to house people following an influx of construction workers to help with quake repairs.
While a temporary village has eased the pressure, it still isn't enough.
"We've got 28 units. Some nights we have most full," Gerard Nolan of Kaikōura's Top 10 Holiday Park says.
"[Construction workers] have been the lifeblood for us getting us through the winter."
The flip side is they're adding pressure to the rental market.
The Kaikōura District Council has put a plea out asking locals to take in boarders over the coming months, and with hopes the summer season will be busy, with it too comes the need for summer workers who will need a place to live.
"It is a big deal for the town," says Mr Hill. "We're advertising we're trying to cast our net wider to look for staff, and not a happening thing. They need to live here to bring them in."
"I want to stay in Kaikōura," says Mr Dainter. "Quakes haven't put me off; it's an amazing place.
"I really don't want to leave, but that is a decision a lot of people are being forced to make."
If he can't find a house, home is either the backseat of his car or heading to Christchurch to sleep.
Newshub.
