17 Nov 2016

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Hundreds of evacuees from quake-stricken Kaikoura have arrived safely at Lyttelton aboard the HMNZS Canterbury.

The Navy frigate docked at the Port of Lyttelton at 1.30am Thursday morning after a six hour journey from Kaikoura with 450 evacuees, four dogs and about seven tonnes of baggage on board.

A Civil Defence worker pats a dog.

A Civil Defence worker gives a welcoming pat to a dog that accompanied one of the evacuees aboard the HMNZS Canterbury.

About 90 per cent of evacuees on board the Canterbury were young backpackers who were in Kaikoura when the magnitude 7.8 quake hit at 12.02am. Apart from one child, the rest of the passengers were older holiday-makers.

The evacuees were met by staff from Civil Defence before being taken in buses to the Horncastle Arena in Addington. From there most of the evacuees were expected to travel directly to the airport or to pre-arranged accommodation.

Accommodation and welfare assistance was being offered to those without places to go.

Civil Defence welfare officer Claire Phillips, who accompanied the evacuees on their trip south, said it had been a remarkable journey. The passengers had been in high spirits and philosophical about their plight.

“We’ve been very, very well looked after and people have been pretty relaxed and pleased with how things have gone,’’ Ms Phillips said.

“Many of the people on the boat tonight were from overseas, our guests in the country, and I think we’ve done them proud and looked after them.’’

The HMNZS Canterbury will be reloaded this morning with a range of supplies including food, water and chemical toilets before returning to Kaikoura later today.

In all about 600 residents and tourists in Kaikoura were evacuated by air and sea yesterday s the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) stepped up its evacuation efforts in the quake-damaged coastal town.

Evacuees disembark from the HMNZS Canterbury.

Evacuees disembark from the HMNZS Canterbury.

“The evacuation has been a complete success. We achieved our immediate priority, which is to evacuate as many displaced people as possible from Kaikoura,” said Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the Acting Commander Joint Forces New Zealand.
With the evacuation successfully completed, the NZDF’s disaster relief operation would now focus on the delivery of vital aid supplies to quake-damaged communities.
The NZDF has mobilised about 500 personnel, at least 11 aircraft and four vessels to support the Government’s earthquake response. Warships from Australia, Canada and the United States, which are currently in the country to take part in the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary, have been retasked to support the national relief effort following Monday’s powerful earthquake.
The ships – HMAS Darwin, HMCS Vancouver and USS Sampson – were expected to begin arriving in Kaikoura overnight.