Personnel wintering over at Scott Base, nearly 4000 kilometres from Christchurch, have observed the third anniversary of the 2011 earthquake that devastated the city with a special commemoration.
The winter team gathered around a flower-adorned Antarctic traffic cone outside the base for a minute's silence at 12.51pm.
Flowers at Scott Base for the victims. Photo: SUPPLIED
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on 22 February 2011, killing 185 people.
The photos were taken by Antarctica New Zealand's winter chef, Bobbie McSweeney, (at left below) who is from Christchurch and was there when the quake struck.
Antarctica New Zealand says the weather on base was minus 22 degrees with a 20 kmph NNE wind gusting to 30 kmph.
However, it says it is unusual to have open water outside the base and orcas were swimming along the foreshore in the morning.
In Christchurch thousands of people gathered for the civic memorial service at the Botanical Gardens, to observe two minutes' silence at 12:51pm,
Winter base staff at the cone, with their backs to an invisible New Zealand.. Photo: SUPPLIED