"the worst day in NZ History...."

Yesterday's earthquake could only be described as such ... and by the grace of god, no worse day shall ever darken this small country's shores again.

The devastation from yesterdays quake is beyond belief.
The televsion news pictures are simply so surreal that unless you are there it seems unbelievable - but its real - its beyond horrible and its shocking.

Many, many lives lost, many lives in tatters, many more buildings ruined. Comprehension of exactly how bad this will effect the lives of everyone in this city will be a long time coming.

There will be utter grief, kaos, dispare, but from it will also come that amazing canterbury spirit, that tough red and black crusader grit that carries us all on, the reaching out to others, the helping, the sharing. A city and its people will rebuild itself - it may take time, but it will happen.

This photo was a quick snap at the end of a long day spent co-ordinating repair work on essential services, and it pretty much summed up the mood of the city and Canterbury, indeed the nation...