A man dressed in full superhero garb as Batman has marched into Christchurch central police station demanding to know what emergency had triggered the "bat signal".

The faked crusader was insisting that the White Lights of Hope, which commemorate the earthquake anniversary, bear an uncanny resemblance to the bat emblem that flashes through the night sky.

Police say the hero was too scrawny to make a convincing Batman, and sent him on his way.

AAP