In NZ we were fortunate that there was a naval review due during the quake, and as Fossil says, warships from NZ, USA, Singapore, Canada, Australia (these I'm sure of, there were probably others) immediately went to the Kaikoura Coast and used their choppers to ferry tourists on board and deliver them to Christchurch. The weather closed in before locals could be safely moved. It has improved again now. Roads are being patched up where possible to get relief into more isolated settlements, but it will be a long time before they get back to anything near normal. Rail is being surveyed, but of course, rail is even more critical of a perfect arrangement than road.
Graphic TV of shellfish dying as they dry out due to the uplifted seabed. These particular large clams (Paua) have a home base, and are not happy anywhere else, so moving them en masse is not very practical. Plus, the people who could do it are busy. Talk of a fishing moratorium meeting with dismay in some circles, but seafood and tourism is the big moneymaker there, and there will be a long recovery period.
The capital Wellington suffered even more damage than was at first thought. Ongoing inspections.