Qibla direction
Qibla Direction in Christchurch
From Christchurch, New Zealand, the Kaaba lies 256° clockwise from true north — to the west, about 15,039 km away.
The compass
Face the gold square
The gold marker is the Kaaba’s direction, not a map position.
The bearing
256°
from true northFrom Christchurch, the Qibla is to the west. The Kaaba is 15,039 km away.
- City coordinates
- 43.532° S, 172.636° E
- Time zone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Kaaba distance
- 15,039 km
How to
Face the Qibla, properly
Three steps that work without special equipment — plus the one caveat about phone compasses.
Find true north
The bearing on this page is measured clockwise from true north. Open a compass app, hold the phone flat and calibrate with a figure-eight motion if the reading drifts.
Turn 256° clockwise
From true north, rotate clockwise by 256°. That line points from Christchurch toward the Kaaba, 15,039 km away.
Hold the line
Choose a fixed object on the line — a doorway, a window or a mark on the wall — so you can return to the same direction for later prayers without the phone.
The bearing is a great-circle direction on a sphere. It is shown from the city centre; a few kilometres across Christchurch changes it by a fraction of a degree, which does not affect your prayer.
Questions
The Qibla from Christchurch
Bearing, true north and why the angle is what it is.
What is the Qibla direction in Christchurch?
From Christchurch city centre, the Qibla is 256° clockwise from true north — toward the west. The Kaaba is about 15,039 km away on that great-circle line.
Is this bearing measured from true north or magnetic north?
True north. A physical or phone compass may point to magnetic north, which differs by the local magnetic declination — often a few degrees. Apply the local declination, or use the DeenDock app, which corrects for it on supported phones.
Why does the Qibla in Christchurch not point straight east?
The shortest path to Makkah is a great-circle route on a sphere, not a straight line on a flat map. That is why the bearing changes with your position and rarely matches a simple compass point.