A series of tremors rattled the quake-prone New Zealand city of Christchurch on Monday, destroying buildings and sending boulders tumbling down hills.

The Christchurch earthquake has shaken a country of small, close-knit communities.

New Zealand will fall silent on Tuesday to mark the moment an earthquake killed at least 154 people and shattered the city of Christchurch a week ago.

The grief was palpable as sombre Christchurch residents arrived on Sunday in small groups at a hastily arranged outdoor church service.

Violent aftershocks hampered desperate efforts to find survivors in the quake-ruined New Zealand city of Christchurch on Saturday.