British couple caught in quakes relieved to be out of Kaikoura

A British couple flown to Christchurch from quake-hit Kaikoura by chopper yesterday say the support they have received from Kiwis has been brilliant.

Karen and Robert Corbett, who live near Liverpool, were holidaying in Kaikoura when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck at 12.02am on Monday morning.

They have been stranded in Kaikoura since then, unable to get out of the badly damaged township because road and rail links have been severed.

Yesterday they were among stranded tourists flown by Air Force helicopter to Woodend.

The relieved couple said the support they had received from New Zealanders since the earthquake had been “absolutely fantastic’’.

“We are lucky we can walk away – the poor people of Kaikoura have to live with the situation now – so we have a lot to be thankful for,’’ Karen Corbett said.

Despite their frightening experience, the Corbetts plan to continue with their New Zealand holiday.