Earthquake day four: developments at a glance

3:01 pm on 17 November 2016

Houses near a Marlborough river are evacuated for fear of a dam burst, Wellington grapples with post-quake building damage and roads are starting to re-open.

And the aftershocks keep rolling on - more than 2000 of them since Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake.

Here are some of the day's main developments:

Marlborough, Kaikoura

Occupants of four houses on the Ure River south of Ward have been evacuated because of fears that several slip dams, created by Monday's 7.8 earthquake, will breach. Three dams have formed along the river from slips and debris.

Marlborough civil defence controller Richard McNamara with a map of the Ure River area. Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton

A convoy of 28 army trucks which set out for Kaikoura from Burnham military camp south of Christchurch has been held up in Culverden because of fears of landslides along the route.

However, it is expected to leave Culverden at 4pm and continue on to Kaikoura.

A convoy of 28 army trucks has left Burnham military camp south of Christchurch to deliver water, fuel and enough fresh food to Kaikoura.

The inland road to Kaikoura, SH70 from Culverden, is open to military-style 4WD vehicles, but not to private vehicles yet.

Highway access to Hanmer Springs has been fully restored through SH7 and SH7A.

More than 100 of the people who were evacuated by ship from Kaikoura overnight are being put up in student accommodation at the University of Canterbury. They were among 455 evacuees who arrived at Lyttelton on the naval ship Canterbury, along with four dogs and 7 tonnes of baggage. Many travellers have since continued on their way.

French tourists Lucie and Louisa moments before leaving Kaikoura on the HMNZS Canterbury. Photo: RNZ / Max Towle

Now the military evacuation from Kaikoura has ended, the Defence Force will focus on getting relief supplies to affected areas.

The Defence Force helicopters dropped pallets of bottled water into Kaikoura last night.

5000 litres of water was air dropped into Kaikoura this evening by the Defence Force pic.twitter.com/1OyCB1nXs3
— Maja Burry (@MajaBurry) November 16, 2016

More portaloos have arrived in Kaikoura as the town remains without flushing toilets. Military helicopters will airlift pipes into Kaikoura to help rebuild the sewerage system.

Dairy farmers in the Kaikoura district are managing to get all their cows milked, despite a power cut, no water and damage to milking sheds, but some have to dump milk until road access is reopened.

Mark Sutherland has a coffee business based in a building next to the condemned building in Molesworth St. Photo: RNZ / Aaron Smale

Wellington

Wellington is facing another afternoon of high winds, putting more pressure on quake recovery efforts.

Cordons remain around a 10-storey building, at 61 Molesworth Street, which is in danger of collapsing. The quake caused major damage to a structural beam.

Tenants in an apartment building next door were allowed in briefly to retrieve belongings this morning.

A cordon near an evacuated apartment block on Tennyson Street has been lifted, although residents are not being allowed back in.

Shipping company P&O Cruises is still hoping to get its Pacific Aria cruise ship into Wellington on Monday.

Council officers have completed assessments of 59 earthquake-prone buildings in Lower Hutt and only one requires further inspection by an engineer. Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt and Wainuiomata Mall remain closed.