The previous earthquake was the 1888 North Canterbury earthquake , which ruptured the whole of the Hope River segment . Alexander McKay , a geologist working for the New Zealand geological survey , observed horizontal offsets in farm fences of between 1.5 and 2.6 metres along the fault . He was the first to associate a strike-slip displacement with an earthquake . The longest segment , the Conway segment , shows evidence of past earthquakes , although none have been recorded since European settlement in about 1850 . Investigations show that at least three events have occurred , the most recent of which is dated to between 1720 and 1840
1888 North Canterbury earthquake
1888 North Canterbury earthquake
Hope Fault