Statue of Robert Falcon Scott

The Statue of Robert Falcon Scott is a white marble memorial in central Christchurch, located at the intersection of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace. It depicts the Antarctic explorer holding a bronze pole and stands approximately 2.6 meters tall.

Scott died in Antarctica in 1912, prompting Christchurch to establish a memorial fund that raised over 1,000 pounds for this statue. The work was completed in 1916 and stands as a tribute to the explorer's legacy.

The statue faces northward, symbolizing the direction of Scott's final journey. This memorial connects the city to the age of exploration and the lives of those who ventured into unknown lands.

The statue sits at a busy intersection in the city center and is easy to locate and visit. After the 2011 earthquake damaged it, the memorial was fully restored with reinforcements to protect it from future movement.

The statue was carved by Kathleen Scott, the explorer's widow and a trained sculptor, from Carrara marble. During World War One, obtaining bronze was difficult, so she chose marble as the material for this memorial.

GPS coordinates: -43.53119,172.63362

Latest update: December 12, 2025 16:43