Australian website warns travellers off Christchurch

11:20 pm on 6 July 2012

An Australian government website has been advising would-be travellers to stay away from Christchurch for the past four months.

The South Island city was badly damaged in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February last year and the region continues to be hit by tremors.

The Smarttraveller website has had the advisory in place since March stating that travellers to Christchurch and Lyttleton, where damage also occurred, should "exercise a high degree of caution".

It is the same advisory it has also placed on East Timor, Rwanda and Iran.

The advisory says the aftershocks may further damage infrastructure such as roads, bridges and power and water supplies.

For the rest of New Zealand, the website tells Australians to "exercise normal safety precautions".

A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the warning is intended to help Australians make well-informed travel decisions.