Quake City, Christchurch

Quake City, Christchurch (must see)

The 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a 6.3 magnitude quake. It is thought to have been an aftershock of the September 2010 Canterbury quake. It was smaller than the September earthquake but its epicenter was closer to the center of the city and closer to ground level. Hundreds of people died any many more were injured.

The treasures (taongas) on display at Quake City help to tell the stories of the Canterbury earthquakes. Quake City is a special exhibit of the Canterbury Museum. The exhibit was created in response to a high public interest in learning of the earthquake experiences of 2010-2011 in Christchurch.

In the exhibit visitors may learn something of the science of the earthquakes. A hands-on interactive exhibit tells the story of liquefaction: when the ground literally liquefies from the shaking, rising up to bury streets and buildings.

There are objects salvaged from the ruins, like the broken spire of Christchurch Cathedral, a bell from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and clocks from the obliterated railway station.

Quake City also records the acts of the heroic responders of the emergency services and the thousands of ordinary citizens who joined rescue efforts.

The Exhibit exemplifies the Museum's role as a guardian (kaitiaki) of the history and treasures of the region of Canterbury.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Christchurch. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Quake City on Map

Sight Name: Quake City
Sight Location: Christchurch, New Zealand (See walking tours in Christchurch)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Christchurch, New Zealand

Create Your Own Walk in Christchurch

Create Your Own Walk in Christchurch

Creating your own self-guided walk in Christchurch is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Statues and Memorials Tour

Statues and Memorials Tour

Although Christchurch is not very large, it has a wealth of public art heritage. Although ravaged by a powerful earthquake in 2011, which caused severe damage to many local attractions, Christchurch nonetheless has retained much of its charm and has a lot to offer visitors in terms of sightseeing. Indeed, there is no shortage of beautiful buildings, parks, gardens and other places of interest...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.4 Km or 0.9 Miles
Christchurch Introduction Walking Tour

Christchurch Introduction Walking Tour

Captain James Cook was not the first person to discover New Zealand. There is evidence that the Christchurch area was visited by groups of moa-hunting people as early as 1250 AD.

They were followed by the Waitaha from the east coast of the North Island in the 16th century. In a series of wars Waitaha were displaced by the Ngati Mamoe, who in turn were conquered by the Ngai Tahu. The Europeans...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles