A Wander Through The City...

I met a friend in the city to go to the movies.
We went to see 'Amour' a French movie with English sub-titles.
I had read a review with five stars so wanted to see it.
It is an excellent movie, portrays an elderly
couple and how they managed after one of them had a stroke.
As realistically told as the movie 'Iris' about the  author Iris Murdoch
who developed Alzheimers and how her husband cared for her.

 After the movies we walked through the city
to go to Spagalimis for Pizza... Yum!

These photos are random shots I took as we walked...

 
This is the corner of Cashel St and Oxford Terrace.
There were cafes and pubs along here...
It was known as 'The Strip'.


This is the corner of Hereford St and Oxford Tce
looking east towards Colombo St.


This is Oxford Tce looking towards the corner of Worcester Boulevard.
The old Clarendon Hotel on the corner.
Some years ago it was pulled down but the facade was kept
and offices built there.
The white curved building is Rydes Hotel...
Used to be Noah's.


Closer up... through the barricade.


In a few weeks all these baracades will be removed
 the red zoned CBD will be open again to the public.


This is the Hereford Street bridge across the Avon River.
We walked over here...


Then around the Avon River.
It is a beautiful sight after all the destruction and empty lots.


This is the Worcester Boulevard bridge,
the broken Cathedral in the distance.
The front building is 'Our City Otautahi'
badly damaged as you can see.
The insured value of $5.8 million is unlikely to cover the
repair options of this historic Queen Anne building.

Closer up... Looking at the Cathedral...
The repairs or re-build of this historic Gothic
building is causing great controversy...
Likely to cost many millions of dollars
and take up to 20 years.

We continued to walk round Cambridge Terrace...
This is the corner of Gloucester St and Cambridge.
There used to be a lovely cafe here and the
old Horticultural Hall.


The same building as the previous photo
Cranes litter the skyline.

 
The opposite corner, Gloucester & Durham Streets.
Amuri Motors used to be here...
And a new office block.
I worked on the top floor for a few years
when I lived here.


Just desolate empty lots where offices and people used to be.


The same corner...


Looking at the Canterbury Provincial Chambers.



It sustained severe damage and significant
portions need to be rebuilt.
These two buildings are amongst the 58 earthquake
damaged facilities the council have identified
as top priority for repair or replacement.



Walking along Victoria Street.
 It was difficult to find our way there
as so many streets are still cordoned off.

 
More empty lots along Victoria St...
  Which sustained a lot of damage to many of the
old quaint historic buildings.
Such a shame so much of Christchurch's
heritage has disappeared.

Well... this is the last of my earthquake blogs.
I'm off to Sydney tomorrow...
So next post when I get there.

Buses... Sightseeing... So Sad...

 
I spent a day while in Christchurch with my friend Bev.
We have known each other for about 25 years.
We enjoy a day out together whenever I am in Christchurch.
This photo is taken at the end of our day at Spagalimis...
Where we went for dinner... A delicious pizza.


We spent the day sightseeing on the Christchurch Metro buses.
We both have 'Gold Cards' so it's all free... Yay!
First we went along Colombo Street, Sydenham...

 
I was amazed at how and where people have re-opened their businesses.

 
Creatively painted container shops everywhere...
  We went back to the bus exchange and got on another bus to Lyttelton.


I was shocked as we drove out of the city at the
continuing earthquake destruction... 
More empty lots where familiar buildings have been pulled down...


This is Manchester Street, just past the containers is Lichfield Street...
Hardly recognisable...
The building in the middle of the photo...
Majestic House is to be demolished.


I don't know where this is. I took these photos looking out the bus window.


The sleepy little town of Lyttelton was the epicentre
of the February 22, 2010 earthquake...
To read about and understand the ground acceleration that caused
such tremendous damage... Read here...

 
The bus went through the Lyttelton Road tunnel...
The longest road tunnel in NZ.
It took four years to build and opened in 1964 and in 2011 had 11,000 vehicles through it daily.


It was damaged in the quakes by rockfalls
falling on the tunnel entrance canopy
and badly damaging the control building,
which is to be demolished. The tunnel was opened
 after a week to essential traffic,
but there are 2000 vehicles less a day using it as people fear
it will collapse. I can understand that as I felt quite
scared driving through it
and the smell of fumes is very strong...
 I don't think the ventilation is working properly.

The Summit Road between Christchurch and Lyttelton
was badly damaged and is still, nearly two years later, closed.
Although there is other road access.

Houses, shops and buildings of all descriptions...
Fell down...


And crumbled into piles of rubble.

 
The historic Lyttleton Timeball that daily from 1876 - 1934
dropped the timeball signalling Greenwich time to shipping in the harbour,
was significantly damaged in the 4 September 2010 earthquake and
damaged beyond repair in the 22 February 2011 quake.
It has now been dismantled but there are plans
to rebuild this historic place.

And the iconic Volcano Cafe... Is no more.
It moved more than 15 centimeters on its foundations...
So was way beyond repair.


After the sad sights of Lyttelton we hopped on another bus...
Out to a suburb called Queenspark.
This is on the east side of Christchurch
where the most damage and liquifacation
occurred from both the two major
earthquakes and the many subsequent aftershocks.

 
We drove through more streets of damage and now vacant land...

 
I felt very sad at the utter destuction of the city I grew up in.


This is the old Crichton Cobbers buildings...

 
Now all gone or in the process of going.


We drove round the Heathcote and Avon rivers.
All areas round any river were more damaged than other areas.


The enormous ground acceleration caused rivers to overflow and
underground liquifacation to rise up...
A total disaster for the suburbs on this side of town that
had been built on marshland and wetland areas.

Buildings fenced off because they are dangerous...

Piles of fallen bricks and concrete blocks lying all around them.

We drove down streets where houses have been removed
and the wild lupins and weeds have taken over.
I read in the paper that some suburbs have major rat problems.



The people in the surrounding houses...
Continue to live there... Little choice to do otherwise really.
I was amazed at how they continue to do that with such
depressing sights around them.
One of the major problems is the arguments between the EQC and the Insurance companies
both don't really want to pay out for damages that people paid their insurance policies for.
I met one person who has needed to employ a mediator to try and resolve the issues...
Meanwhile he is repairing nothing and going nowhere.
The government seems to have lost interest.


Broken bridges...


And churches...


And road works like these are in most of the streets we drove along.
The state of the roads is so appalling that I had to hold on with both hands
not to be tipped off my bus seat.
Some houses still do not have fully functioning sewage and drains.
Christchurch is in a terrible state and I wonder, despite the
councils and governments plans... Just what will become of it.