March 8-9: Christchurch after the quake

I'm here in Christchurch and am again using airbnb. This time the hosts are a younger working couple and I may hardly see them! Their house is super, and is located close to where the Avon River meets the ocean. The area is called New Brighton. Little did I know that it was one of the two areas outside the city centre that suffered badly from the earthquake. My hosts were relatively unaffected but walking around the area after I arrived it was obvious how lucky they were. So much construction still going on, particularly to the roads. And many empty lots where something had once existed.

Today (March 9) I went down to the city centre, and took what they call a Rebuild Tour. The guide told us about the quake itself and we were driven around town and shown the worst of the devastation, what has been done and what is planned. I am still in shock after seeing what has happened to Christchurch. It leaves me speechless.  Pictures will help but first perhaps a few facts given to us by the tour guide. Two quakes hit, one in September 2010  and the more seriously destructive one, that happened on February 22, 2011, almost exactly four years ago. The epi-centre was only 10 km. from the city centre. 185 people were killed, 115 in one building. Given the state of the city it's amazing more did not die. However, 6,000 were injured. The guide said there have been about 14,000 aftershocks. Each one must have been terrifying.

We were told that about 50% of the buildings in the city centre came down. I'm not sure if that was immediately after the quake and more were then deemed unsafe and destroyed, as the city centre still looks quite empty, 4 years later. Perhaps I'll start with a picture of the empty spaces.

All 4 corners are empty lots and the buildings

in this picture all deserted

And now a few shots of the debris still remaining and reconstruction in progress. The city's finances are not surprisingly in rather bad shape so work cannot proceed as quickly as might be wished. Also, in a number of cases it has been difficult to get agreement about what should be done. For example, the Anglican cathedral was seriously damaged. Some think it should be completely rebuilt, others want to save what remains.

I took umpteen pictures like this. The destruction was just everywhere.

Some very creative, and temporary, things have been constructed, to bring life back to the city as quickly as possible. The "cardboard" cathedral below has become quite famous.

Some of the empty lots have been turned into parks and stopping spots. Art work covers many of the standing walls.

And shipping containers have been used both to support buildings and facades that await reconstruction, and to house temporary stores and business. The "Re:Start Mall" is a shopping area constructed of containers and is a testament to what imagination can do.

What I don't know is what happened to all the people and businesses that were displaced by the quake. I still have three days here to ask about that.

This last picture left a big impression. In case you can't read the words, it says Faith, Hope, Love.