A worker at Port of Lyttelton was badly shaken when yesterday's 5.1 magnitude aftershock struck while he was perched in a crane 45 metres above the ground.
Port chief executive Peter Davie today said Saturday's quake and subsequent aftershocks had caused about $50 million worth of damage to the port.
Yesterday's tremor, centred just off Lyttelton, had rattled those working at the port, particularly one man who was in a crane when it hit, Davis said.
"It gave him a big fright, but he was ok. He waited up there until it settled and he could come down," he said.
He said the aftershock was centred right under Lyttelton so the shock was "quite violent, it really did shake people".
Davie said the incident with the crane operator had caused a fair amount of unease amongst the port workers.
"They are nervous and understandably so, but we keep putting our engineering staff in front of them and reinforcing that the structures there are built to withstand these type of things."
Davie said the estimated cost of the damage was $50 million.
"For us, the port is about months and years of restoration work, there's no quick fixes for a lot of the work."
Transport Minister Steven Joyce visited the port this morning and said the damage was dramatic.
"The sheer force of it, when you get up close to it..." he said.
"The wharf we're standing on has been here since the 1880s, so it's seen better days there's no doubt about that."
