Christchurch earthquake timeline: New Zealand's biggest quakes February 3, 1931 - A 7.8 quake hit Napier, Hawke's Bay, killing 256 people, the country's deadliest natural disaster. It also caused extensive damage. March 5, 1934 - A 7.6 magnitude quake struck in the lower North Island and was felt as far away as Auckland in the north and Dunedin in the South Island. The quake caused widespread damage, but no one was killed. June 24, 1942 - An earthquake measuring 7.2 hit Wairarapa, killing one person but causing extensive damage. August 2, 1942 - Wairarapa, in the lower North Island, was struck with a 7.0 magnitude quake, just five weeks after it had been hit with a slightly stronger tremor. May 24, 1968 - A 7.1 magnitude quake hit a sparsely populated area around the town of Inangahua in the South Island, killing three people and caused widespread destruction. It was felt over much of the country. March 2, 1987 - A 6.8 magnitude quake struck the Bay of Plenty region on the east coast of the North Island. The shallow quake caused widespread damage to small towns but there were no casualties. December 20, 2007 - A 6.8 magnitude quake hit the North Island city of Gisborne. It caused no casualties. July 16, 2009 - A 7.8 earthquake struck the remote southwest Fiordland region of New Zealand's South Island, causing a small tsunami. It caused only slight damage to buildings. September 4, 2010 - A 7.1 magnitude shake struck Christchurch, causing an estimated NZ$4 billion in damage, making it the most destructive quake since 1931. There were no deaths and only two serious injuries. February 22, 2011 - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, killing at least 65 people and caused widespread damage because it was shallow and close to the city centre.