A couple in Christchurch, New Zealand, have been reunited with their wedding photos 18 months after the camera containing them was lost in an earthquake.

When the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Christchurch in February 2011, many people ran for their lives to escape the falling debris.

New Zealand media reports say that as the couple fled the catastrophe, newly-weds Fen Jerimiah and Martin Burley dropped the camera containing their precious wedding photos, which they never expected to see again.

That was until 18 months later, when walking down their silt-covered driveway, Fen Jerimiah and Martin Burley noticed what looked like their lost camera resurfacing from the mud.

Burley, who found it covered in silt, painstakingly cleaned the corroded and buckled camera, removing the mud from the camera's memory card.

"I was more pessimistic. Like, I didn't really think it would still work. But I'm glad that he's more like, yes, let's try this," said Fen Jerimiah.

Burley's perseverance paid off. "Just one of those wow moments. Like, oh, awesome," he said.

"I thought these had gone forever," said Burley. All of the photos were still intact.

"That's really cool. Special day for both of us," said Burley.

The photos of their wedding day have now been safely transferred to a computer.