A HORWICH chef who survived one of the worst earthquakes in New Zealand’s history has described dodging landslides and falling lampposts during a terrifying 24-hour ordeal.

When the 7.8 magnitude disaster struck the small coastal town of Kaikoura just after midnight on November 14, Greg Morris knew he had to get out of the house.

A tsunami warning had been issued and the 22-year-old feared his rented seafront apartment would be swept away by incoming flood waters.

“We were awake but drifting off when the whole building started shaking very violently,” said Greg who was working at Kaikoura’s Sonic restaurant alongside girlfriend Laura Houghton, 22, from Chorley, as part of a one-year working visa.

“The force of it threw me onto the floor. After a few seconds I realised what it was. I looked up and the whole house was moving.

“There was nothing to take cover under. I thought that if the building came down on us, we’d be dead. I knew we had to get out.”

Greg went to look for two South American friends who he and Laura were house sharing with and dashed out of the door.

He said: “We ran to the car. Outside, it was unreal to see. We lived in a three-storey building and the whole thing was just shaking.

“The road goes straight up out of Kaikoura into the hills. While I was driving, lampposts were falling down and rocks were tumbling down the hillside. It was like being in a film.”

After reaching the summit, away from powerlines and the tsunami threat, they spoke to some locals, who offered them a bed for the night.

And how does a Brit abroad relax after a near-death situation?

“We went back to theirs for a cup of tea,” said Greg, who spent a sleepless night being woken up by aftershocks.

“The tsunami threat had been lifted so we drove back into Kaikoura the next morning. I realised I actually only had my boxers on, because we'd left in such a rush.

“It was just crazy. There were buildings with damaged roofs where rocks had fallen down. It was chaos. We were driving across massive cracks in the road.

“But the relief arrived very quickly. It was well organised, reassuring and very good to see.”

Prior to the earthquake, Gregg and Laura, who both worked at the Cherry Tree pub in Blackrod, had spent an idyllic two-and-a-half months travelling around South East Asia, before heading to New Zealand and travelling for a further six months.

Worried about further aftershocks and aware that their parents were worried, they decided to organise a flight home.

After a further two-night camping in a field, they were transported by a Navy ship along the coast south to Christchurch, where they stayed for three nights before flying home.

But despite the near death experience, the couple retain fond memories of New Zealand and plan further adventures abroad.

“New Zealand is definitely the best place I’ve been to,” said Greg. "The people there are lovely and the scenery is beautiful. We’ll go back one day.”