Inspections of the Christchurch's Hotel Grand Chancellor after the city's first earthquake showed damage was superficial and further structural damage was unlikely, engineers said today.

Christchurch's Hotel Grand Chancellor partially collapsed in the February quake because a "vulnerable'' shear wall supporting a considerable load failed.

Backpackers are still flocking to Christchurch as a must-stop destination, despite the ongoing shaking.

A powerful earthquake has hit waters off western Indonesia, prompting local officials to issue a tsunami warning...