Day 30 - Christchurch - What's Left of It!


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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch
December 18th 2013
Published: December 24th 2013
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Wednesday 18th December, 2013. Christchurch - What's Left of It!

Today we had planned to go to the Botanical Gardens so it was a relief to see that the sun was shining. We had worked out a route that would continue with the heritage trail we started yesterday, followed by the Botanical Gardens and Christchurch Museum and finishing with most of the rest of the heritage trail.

We retraced our steps from yesterday and took some more pictures of the same things - its amazing how much better everything seems when the sun is shining. Once we reached Cathedral Square we went into the Tourist Information Centre and found out where the supermarkets are as we need to do some shopping later. As luck would have it there was about to be a display of Japanese Drum Playing in the square. There were two bands playing - Kodama (from Palmerston North) and Takumi Taiko (from Christchurch). They were absolutely fantastic. We watched for about 15 minutes and then made a gold coin donation before heading towards the Botanical Gardens.

Our route took us through Re-START Mall. This is a pedestrian shopping mall made from shipping containers. It is built on the site of the Cashel Street Mall, close to the Bridge of Rememberance. The brightly colored stacked boxes hold 27 stores as part of the City Mall Re-START Project which was set up in the wake of the devastating earthquakes. The shops include a mix of old tenants, big brands and pre-quake central city stalwarts. The architect of the project is Anton Tritt, who chose shipping containers for the precinct because they were strong and could be reused at a new site
if landowners decided to put up more permanent buildings. The entire shopping precinct is scheduled to be dismantled and replaced with more permanent structures but many people hope that the containers will remain for years. We chatted to a lady who had lived in Christchurch forever. She was giving out bookmarks (free) and she said that this was a place of hope. This was a really vibrant place and we could feel the optimism as we wandered amongst the containers. There were mime artists, musicians and jugglers. It was quite inspiring.

We continued along the Re-StART Mall until we came to Quake City. This is a new facility that has opened since the last two earthquakes. It is in Cashel Street. Here you can view iconic objects that fell during the earthquakes, hear personal earthquake stories, learn about the Ruaumoko Mauri legend and be amazed at human resiliance and the work carried out by both volunteers and the emergency services. We sat for some time listening to the personal stories before we continued to the next exhibits. There were elements that had been rescued from the Church of the Blessed Sacrement which was the Catholic Cathedral that was raised to the ground. These included the belfry door, some pieces of the dome, and the Great Bell. Also inside were relics from the Christchurch Anglican Cathedral. All that remains of the beautiful Rose Window is some shattered glass and twisted lead. This was once a magnificnet example of Gothic decorative art. The Spire Cross, made of stainless steel, fell from the Cathedral spire on 22 February 2011 (after withstanding earthquakes for close to 110 years!). Also in this exhibit are the Tuku Tuku Panels which are a traditional Maori art form recovered from the Cathedral. They tell of a Maori proverb "What is the most important thing in the world? It is people it is people it is people!" The centre also houses Provincial Chambers only surviivng Window. It is a quatrefoil (4-lobed) stained glass window It was supposed to be installed in the Stone Chamber but was not for reasons unknown. All the other windows in situ were destroyed. It is now the only remaining example of the stained glass that once adhorned this magnificent building.

Quake City also housed the important bit of the Robert Godley Statue - we had seen the empty pedestal yesterday. The rest had fallen off in the earthquake but was still intact. The bronze statue of John Robert Godley in Cathedral Square was unveiled in 1867. He is often described as the "founder of Canterbury". It stood for over 140 years until the 4 tonne statue was toppled by the February 2011 earthquake. It is a little battered but the intention is to repair it and restore it to its rightful place back on its plinth in Cathedral Square.

There was a section devoted to the work of the emergency services and volunteers. Each damaged building was meticulously searched. Search markings were placed at the primary entrance of a structure and recorded the name of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team and the date and time they started searching the building and whether or not any victims had been located (either dead or alive). Once the USAR team has completed its task and was leaving the site, a distinctive circle was placed around the search marking. There was an exhibit showing this in the form of an original door taken from a collapsed building.

There were also some exhibits of how buildings are going to be quake proofed. One of these is a new type of chimney that looks exactly like the originals but weighs a fraction of the amount. One of the other things which we thought was fantastic was "The Challenge". There was a table full of white lego bricks with the following instructions "Help us to Re-build Christchurch. Using these Lego pieces feel free to let your imagination run wild and construct your design for Christchurch" Some of the creations on display on the shelves here were amazing.

After leaving Quake City we walked to the Bridge of Remembrance which is closed due to the damage caused by the earthquake. This bridge was built to mark the sacrifice of thouse who served in the Great War. More recent conflicts have also been commemorated here. It is in the processs of being repaired.

On the way to the Botanic Gardens we grabbed a couple of takeaway sandwiches. The gardens were established in 1863 and house a wide array of plant collections. We were lucky it was such a gorgeous day. we sat in the gardens by the Avon River and ate our picnic lunch - watched very carefully by some cheeky ducks. We wandered through the garden until we reached the rose garden - which looked and smelled lovely. At the back of this garden is Cuningham House which is the main glass house in the garden. Like most of the other iconic structures this was also closed due to earthquake damage. We continued on until we found the cafe (also closed) but a makeshift one had been set up in a shipping container next door to the original. We had a couple of huge ice creams. We made our way out of the gardens by way of the Water Garden, and the NZ Garden which had a lot of native flora.

We dropped into Canterbury Museum as it is next door to the gardens. This Gothic Revival building was actually open! We went inside and looked at the human history collections on display here. There was plenty of Maori stuff as well as details about the Eurpean Settlers. There is a complete reconstruction of a mid 19th century street. Just off this street there was the Paua shell House. This is a reconstruction of a house that had been completely decorated inside with Paua shells by an excentric couple called Fred and Myrtle Flutey. Apparently they spent 40 years sticking the shells up in their living room. The shell collection was loaned to the museum by their grandson after they died. The museum built a replica of Fred and Myrtle's pad so the shells could be shown off properly.

We walked past the Arts Centre (closed) and Christ's College Canterbury (open). As we have been wandering around this ruined city we have completely adjusted to the sound of pile drivers, pneumatic drills and bulldozers. We have got to the point where we barely notice it anymore. The other thing is the skyline of the city - it is totally dominated by cranes. For the most part these cranes are not reconstructing buildings but deconstructing damaged buildings. They tower above the high rise buildings they are taking down. Two of the biggest machines in the Southern Hemisphere have been brought in to help. 'Twinkle Toes' - a 208 tonne excavator with a 65 metre reach and 'Big Red' with a 550 tonne capacity and a 150 metre reach.

We rejoined the Heritage Trail and made our way to Victoria Square Gardens where we saw the statue of James Cook. We passed dozens more building sites and damaged buildings until we came to the water wheel on the River Avon. Then we went to St Michael and All Angels Church which was the first Anglican Church to be built in Christchurch. It served as the Cathedral until 1881. It is particularly notable for its free-standing belfry which stands adjacent to the church which was built in 1861 - and it is still standing!

We found the supermarket pointed out by the girl in the information office an eternity ago and did a shop. Then we continued up Madras Street to the site of Rememberance for the 185 souls who lost their lives in the February 2011 earthquake. Hundreds more suffered serious, life-changing injuries and their lives, and those of their families,friends and communities were dramatically altered that day. This site is for all of them and consists of 185 empty white chairs representing the people who are no longer with us. They are situated across the street from the Canterbury TV Site where over 60% of the fatalaties occurred that day. It was a really moving place and the sign invited you to sit on whichever chair you felt 'drawn to' while you were there.

Across the street from this memorial is the transitional Anglican Cathedral or Cardboard Cathedral as it has been dubbed by the locals. It was opened in August 2013. It is on the site of the St John the Baptist church which was demolished after the earthquake. It takes its name from the cardboard tubes (2 feet or 0.61 m diameter) used in its construction. It is held up by 8 shipping containers which make up the 4 walls. The 96 cardboard tubes are reinforced with laminated wood with a 2 inch gap between each so that light can filter into the Cathedral. Although it is temporary it is expected to stand for at least 30 years while the original cathedral is either repaired or replaced.

Absolutely exhausted we made our way back to the YH. Here we had a lovely surprise as Sharon and Dick, who we met in Okains Bay had checked in. We spent a couple of hours chatting to them over a glass or two of wine before they went off to play in a poker competition and D went to cook dinner. Hopefully tomorrow will be more relaxing!


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