In photos: 2 dead after powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand

On Monday, 14 November, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand\'s South Island. A tsunami arrived about two hours later. Officials had warned the locals along the eastern coast to move to the higher ground. Thousand\'s have been stranded in towns near the quake\'s epicenter. Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the nation and two people were killed.

A gauge at Kaikoura,181 (112 miles) north of Christchurch, measured a wave of 2.5m in the early hours of the morning, according to Weatherwatch.co.nz. Kaikoura has been cut off from the rest of the nation. Kaikoura is just two and a half hour drive from Christchurch. 140 people are waiting ot be evacuated out of the area.

The earthquake has caused major damage to the infrastructure.

Aftershocks and landslides (between 80,000 and 100,000 landslides) continued throughout Monday morning - more than a hundred. Many schools and offices stayed closed while engineers were checking buildings, and ferries and trains were cancelled.

New Zealanders are used to earthquakes as the country lies on the Ring of fire, the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.