Christchurch

I asked Carly if I could write this entry in first person. Seeing Christchurch after the devastating earthquakes, the most recent being about a year ago now, was extraordinarily upsetting. The more Carly and I saw of the city, the more we compared it to a demilitarized zone. Buildings in the city center were simply falling apart and we could not get anywhere near Cathedral square. For those who know Christchurch, that was the heart of the city. Today, the cathedral barely stands, but it will be completely removed and possibly never rebuilt, depending on funding and such. It is extremely expensive to get building insurance in Christchurch now, and I think that churches have found this the most hard-hitting.

Though I tried to navigate the streets, the city is nothing like I remember it. All activity and daily life has moved to the periphery. The once bustling arts centre, where you were sure to go if visiting Christchurch, is now like a ghost town and the only building open in the area is the Christchurch Museum, which luckily did not suffer too much damage. We spent at least 3 hours in there looking at all the (free) exhibits, particularly the one about the earthquake and its effects on Chch.  The city is going to take at least a decade to return to any sort of normalcy, the next year being dedicated to demolition alone.

Left: There was a lot of this all around the city.


Right: The spire that once stood on top of the Chch Cathedral, on display in the Canterbury Museum.

What we found interesting, though, is the damage the disaster had on the Cantabrian (i.e. people from Canterbury) psyche. Many people have left, and for those who have stayed, all remember the earthquakes like Americans remember 9/11. Many people were completely ousted from their homes, either due to structural damages or to the liquefaction that inundated their houses. Many saw people fall out of buildings and perish amongst the rubble. Now, people are wary of working in a building with more than 2 stories. They feel aftershocks often and can generally gauge their magnitudes. In fact, there was a small quake, about a 4.1, that happened one morning we were there. We didn’t feel it, but the locals certainly knew about it. The Christchurch story just goes to show that natural disasters have complete holds on our societies – there is nothing we can do to prepare for them, whether we live in third or first world countries.

The old Arts Centre with the great shops, now standing and waiting for repairs.

The old bus depot and the closest we could get to the city centre.

However, the support people from all over the world poured out for the people of Christchurch was amazing. People from all over New Zealand sent food in the days that followed the earthquakes (there were three large ones) and the international support was incredible as well. Now a thriving part of the bit of the downtown area that is accessible, called the Re:Start area, is comprised of shipping containers that have been transformed into shops and cafes. Quake-proof! It’s amazing to see what can be done in a year that will lift people’s spirits and help to rehabilitate the economy. Hats off to the people of Christchurch for making it through and standing tall!

The Re:Start area on Cashel St. - the new downtown of shipping containers turned shops!

As for Carly and I, we spent a lot of time walking around the closed off areas. We did enjoy ourselves in the botanical gardens (Chch is still the garden city!) and I was extremely ecstatic to find that my favorite restaurant is still standing! For my study abroad mates – the Coffee House still exists and is as delicious as ever!

While my immediate reaction to Christchurch was awe and disbelief, the progress they are making to rebuild is amazing. So many new buildings in so little time! I can’t wait to return in a decade or so and see the transformation.

Playing near the roses in the botanic gardens!