Liquefaction and associated lateral spreading during the 1987 ML 6.3 Edgecumbe earthquake caused severe damage within parts of the Whakatane township in the North Island of New Zealand. Liquefaction and lateral spreading was well documented proximal to the waterways in areas underlain by recent fluvial and marine sediments. Recent studies utilizing an extensive set of CPT investigations indicate that much of the Whakatane CBD is underlain by sediments with a low cyclic resistance to liquefaction. No evidence of liquefaction was observed within the CBD following the Edgecumbe earthquake, despite the severe liquefaction manifestation and lateral spreading predicted under the likely ground motions of the Edgecumbe earthquake.