Couple rides out quake in high-rise hotel

A Palmerston North couple clung to each other with little hope of surviving as their Christchurch hotel shook violently during the weekend's devastating earthquake.

Steve Nesbit and Fiona Stone, who have been together for 10 years, were on the 17th floor of the Hotel Grand Chancellor in central Christchurch when the quake hit.

The couple said they felt helpless as the entire building swayed and dropped, making a horrendous noise and causing massive cracks in walls.

"We thought the building was going to fall. It was so violent, we just clung to each other. There was nowhere to run from a 17th floor. We just rode it out," Mr Nesbit said.

The windows of the neighbouring building rippled, looking as if they would break, and the lights went out.

"It was just awful, it was the scariest thing of my life, we thought this was it," Ms Stone said. "What can you do? You can't fight Mother Nature."

Once the shaking subsided, in complete darkness the couple grabbed some clothes, and food and water from the minibar.

Hotel guests were forced to use mobile phones for torches as the hotel's emergency lights failed to come on.

"There was no panic, it was quiet and everyone was walking down the stairway," Ms Stone said.

She was surprised how people reacted in chaos.

"It was absolutely shocking what happened. When you see it on TV you see a lot of panic but people were calm.

"I didn't hear any screaming, people just did what they had to do to get out of the danger area."

The full extent of the damage hit them as they entered the street.

"We just realised we were in ground zero, there were no taxis, it was just dark and everyone was in shock," she said.

"It was really cold, that's when reality hit – there's no services, no nothing."

They surveyed the destruction in the central city, describing street corners taken out, buildings collapsed and roads split open.

"We saw lots of debris and glass," Mr Nesbit said. "Whole buildings had gone, cars were flattened. It was like a movie."

The couple own Power House Tattoo in Palmerston North, and had flown to Christchurch on Friday to help judge at a tattoo convention.

The couple stayed with friends in Burwood on Saturday night, too scared to return to the hotel, especially as jolting aftershocks were continuously being felt.

The couple, who saw huge queues for water and petrol on Saturday, urged Manawatu residents to have emergency supplies.

- © Fairfax NZ News