Comes as rain and strong winds battered central New Zealand today, threatening even more damage

Scientists say seabed lifted about two metres on the foreshore and say they have never seen anything like it


These incredible photographs show how New Zealand's 7.8 magnitude earthquake lifted the seabed two metres - and exploded through the sand.

Dramatic aerial pictures reveal the scale of the devastation caused on the coastline north of Kaikoura, on the country's South Island.

Scientists say the seabed lifted an estimated two metres on the foreshore and admit they have never seen anything like it.

It comes as rain and strong winds battered central New Zealand on Thursday, threatening further damage - just days after the quake killed two people and sparked with huge landslides.

More than 1,000 tourists and residents have since been evacuated from the small seaside town by a fleet of helicopters and a naval vessel since the 7.8 magnitude quake struck early on Monday.

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Devastation: Incredible photographs show how New Zealand 's 7.8 magnitude earthquake lifted the seabed two metres - and exploded through the sand

Damage: The enormous 7.8 magnitude earthquake not only tore apart the seabed, but homes and roadways, and some of the country's famed mountain areas

Landslide: Aerial photos capture the devastating aftermath of the New Zealand coastline after it was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake around midnight Sunday

‹ Slide me › A 'before photo' taken in March 2016 shows how the coastline looked before the earthquake struck on Monday (left). An 'after' photo taken in recent days shows the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake (right)

Aerial photos shared by Environmental and Engineering Consultants Tonkin and Taylor reveal the seabed uplifted an estimated two to two-and-a-half metres out of the sea and above ground level on the foreshore.

Once submerged, the rocks - covered in barnacles, limpets and seaweed - have now been pushed up above the surface. As a result of the sudden uplift, sea life including lobster and abalone, have been seen stranded out of water.

The areas which appear purple in colour show how the sea bed has been forced up to the surface.

The photos, shared and liked more than 1,000 times on Twitter, also show the direct impact to wildlife following the earthquake with sea creatures stranded out of the water.

Tonkin and Taylor pinpointed the section of coastline where the aerial photos were taken. The sea bed is shown to have risen two metres in some parts

While incredible, the photos capture the devastating death of sea-life, some of which cannot survive above water

Emergency services officers inspect the immense damage caused to Rotherham Road near Waiau town, 90 kilometres south of Kaikoura

Warships from the United States, Canada and Australia have been drafted in to help earthquake relief efforts in New Zealand

New Zealand woman Anna Redmond uploaded photos to her Facebook account showing the uplifted coast up close.

Her photos show abalone, or paua, covered seabed jutting out metres above the ground.

While incredible, the photos capture the devastating death of sea-life, most of which cannot survive above water.

While it is not the first time the island has been hit by an earthquake, experts claim it is the first time tremors have caused the New Zealand seabed to lift.

Marine Geologist Dr Joshu Mountjoy said he had 'never seen it before during an earthquake'.

'(It's a) very complex fault rupture,' Dr Mountjoy told Stuff.

He said some faults went side-to-side and others vertically and the after-effects from the most recent earthquake look as if they moved vertically and pushed land upwards.

'It will take a while before this becomes normal again,' he said.

The experts were not alone in their shock with many going online to express their disbelief.

Ruins: The earthquake destroyed Elms homestead killing resident Louis Edgar in Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake

Pictures show the damage to the Main North Railway line from the earthquake at Kaikoura. Rescue efforts after a devastating earthquake in New Zealand intensified last night

The powerful quake tore through roads and set off huger landslides in the area. This picture shows the damage on State Highway 1

Waiting game: Evacuees from the earthquake-affected town of Kaikoura, New Zealand, rest aboard the naval ship HMNZS Canterbury

'That is unreal, that has to be at least 15-20 feet of upwelling to expose those pauas like that,' one Facebook user said.

'Amazing power of mother earth,' said another.

The enormous 7.8 magnitude earthquake not only tore apart the seabed, but homes and roadways, and some of the country's famed mountain areas.

It struck at around 12am on Sunday north of Christchurch claiming the lives of two people and causing extensive destruction.

It was followed by two other major aftershocks - one 6.3 magnitude quake centred in Cheviot and the other a 5.8 magnitude which rocked New Zealand's South Island.

Kaikoura, a fishing town and popular whale-watching base ringed by steep mountains, was completely cut off by landslides covering the coastal road and rail corridor.

Further helicopter evacuations from Kaikoura on Thursday had been disrupted due to the bad weather, said Sarah Stuart-Black, director of the Ministry of Civil Defence Emergency Management.

Danger: Rocks cascaded down on to a road close to Kaikoura when the earthquake struck early on Monday

On the move: Evacuees from Kaikoura walk away from the New Zealand Air Force helicopter that brought them to the town of Woodend, near Christchurch

'We are really concerned about the changing weather situation,' she told reporters. 'It could mean that there's an increased risk of further landslides, obviously surface flooding, so we want people to be safe.'

An inland road to Kaikoura, briefly reopened to emergency vehicles, was closed due to more landslides, officials said.

Warships from Australia, Canada and the United States, in the country for the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th anniversary, had arrived in Kaikoura to assist with the recovery.

'The ships, crews and maritime helicopters provided by our partner militaries have given us a great deal of flexibility in supporting the national relief effort,' said New Zealand Joint Forces Commander Major General Tim Gall.

Most of the tourists evacuated to Christchurch, the South Island's largest city about 150 km (90 miles) south of Kaikoura, had continued their journeys but around 130 people were being housed temporarily in Canterbury University's student halls.

With damage expected to take months to repair, the government announced a NZ$7.5 million ($5.3 million) wage subsidy package to support small businesses in Kaikoura for two months.

'These companies ... are going to have a sustained reduction in their turnover to the point of almost nothing for a long period of time and that's why we think it's appropriate for the government to step in,' Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce told reporters.

Analysts at ANZ Bank said that, while the local economic hit would be significant, there would only be a 'small dent' in New Zealand's overall activity, far lower than the 2011 quake in Christchurch that killed almost 200 people.

In Wellington, as many as 60 buildings were damaged, including serious structural damage to three relatively recently constructed multi-storey buildings, one of which engineers said would have to be torn down.

A large crowd of tourists and people wanting to leave Kaikoura are briefed about evacuation plans head of boarding the HMNZS Canterbury

The government said it would launch an investigation into why the newer buildings had been unable to withstand the quake.

More buildings were evacuated and roads cordoned off on Thursday as engineers assessed the damage.

Wellington is bisected by several fault lines, and large areas of its business district are built on reclaimed land, raising questions about building practices in the capital despite some of the world's strictest codes.

'It is a concern, people do want to know the buildings they're in are going to be safe,' Wellington Mayor Justin Lester told reporters. 'Everybody wants a building to perform as is expected, so when it doesn't ... you need to understand how. There's no simple answer.'

The force of the tremor was most evident in the upper South Island, where parts of the coast moved metres. A team of volunteers rescued thousands of abalone, a large shellfish known locally as paua, that had been thrown up from the sea bed and left high and dry.

A popular New Zealand fur seal colony near Kaikoura, where pups could often be seeing playing in a waterfall in a nearby stream, was destroyed by a landslide, Department of Conversation officials said.

Civil Defence evacuated some residents near several rivers in the region where landslides from the earthquakes had blocked the rivers and risked dangerous collapses.

Seismologists are still recording hundreds of aftershocks - some 2,000 have rattled the region since the initial tremor.