Recovery efforts at the severely damaged Canterbury Cathedral are being hampered by rain which is causing masonry to become more unstable.
Engineers began removing loose and unsecure brickwork from the Cathedral after its spire crumbled when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday.
The death toll climbed to 113 on Friday and a further 200 people are unaccounted for. Police have said there may be 22 people in the rubble of the church.
Two cranes were at the site on Friday, though engineers say clearing the site will take some time.
The Dean of Christchurch says rebuilding the Cathedral will be important to the city.
The very Reverend Peter Beck says the Australian city of Newcastle also lost its cathedral in a quake in 1979.
