Anna and John Mahy with their children, left to right, Hugh, Elizabeth and Evaline. 1109885

AFTERSHOCKS are still occurring in New Zealand but life is slowly returning to normal, according to a Guernsey family now living there.

John and Anna Mahy moved to Lyttelton Harbour Basin, close to the centre of the quake, five years ago with their three children.

They spoke to the Guernsey Press shortly after the quake, which hit Christchurch on 22 February and killed about 180 people.

Mrs Mahy spoke again more recently about their experiences since then and the current state of affairs.

She said normality was slowly being restored, but the aftermath of the quake was still dominated by the disaster.

‘It’s returning to a new sort of normal,’ she said. ‘Where we are is out of the city centre area, so we are spared the worst of what has happened and we are going on as normal, but with frayed nerves and avoiding the town if we can.

‘Our routine is getting back to normal, although we still haven’t replaced our oven smashed in the earthquake, so lots of barbecues.

‘We can’t swim in the sea opposite our house or gather seafood as we often do.

‘The sewage system for the city is in ruins, polluting our rivers and coastline.’

The aftershocks are frequent sources of terror and panic, according to Mrs Mahy.

‘Two nights ago, an aftershock hit,’ she said. ‘The house shook. My husband and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing – “Is this another one? Is it going to get bigger?”

‘After a few seconds, my heart pounding, I didn’t want to wait to see and I jumped up and headed towards the now-shouting Evie [one of John and Anna’s children].

‘Halfway there, it stopped. Relief – just an aftershock. After that, we go a whole day and night with just small aftershocks.

‘Any rumbling noise – trucks, cars, bikes, helicopter, kids running on wooden floors, a door slamming, so many things – can sound like an approaching aftershock and can make even the most relaxed person pause and wait.’

Mrs Mahy went on to describe life around their town, which bears vivid scars from the quake. Thousands are reported to have left Christchurch.

‘In the eastern parts of town, streets take on a ghostly feel as sand from the liquidation still cakes the ground in places or blows around in others, covering cars and windows with its dusty grey.

‘The roads are torn up, cracked, uneven and broken. Many houses in these worst-hit areas are now empty.

‘My best friend, who was still struggling after the first earthquake, has moved to Australia.

‘Most of the city now has power, some still don’t. Most of the city has water, but it has to be boiled for six minutes before you drink it, wash your veg in it or brush your teeth. We are lucky we are on rainwater here.

‘Many still don’t have a toilet that will flush. The lucky have portable toilets, others make do in the garden.

‘Other places look OK. Supermarkets are open, streets are busy and life is going on.’