No fuel was available where I lived on the east side of Christchurch immediately after the 2011 earthquake. Power was out. Petrol pumps do not operate well without it.

The west side of town was still running. But the earthquake had also damaged the pipeline bringing fuel from the terminal at Lyttelton Harbour, and power outages were a problem.

More fuel was coming. Tanker trucks were heading up from points south and would haul supply up to Christchurch. It would just take a few days.

To read the article on the Newsroom website, click here.