Five days after the Darfield earthquake, a street survey of buildings with pounding damage was performed in Christchurch Central Business District (CBD). Pounding damage did not occur very often, and the level of damage observed was generally low. Moderate to severe pounding damage was observed only in some unreinforced masonry buildings. Outside the CBD one collapsed storey can be attributed to pounding. The majority of pounding damage occurred in vertical structural elements. Adjacent stepped façades were also found to be susceptible. The damage patterns associated with pounding could have led to building collapse in more severe/longer duration shaking or major aftershocks. Pounding damage remains a serious concern for future strong earthquakes in New Zealand.