RadioRoryResidents of Christchurch are almost used to earthquakes.
There was a big one in 2010 but the one that struck a year later was different.
A 6.3 quake centered six miles from the downtown business district caused widespread devastation, killing 185 people. In an open-air memorial, a different type of white chair symbolizes the seniors, workers, students, and children who perished in a quake that lasted less than 30 seconds.
You can see astonishing before/after pictures in an article that was posted on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy.
I’m visiting almost six years after the quake and the city is still rebuilding.
There was another strong quake about a month before I arrived. It measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and was centered near Kaikoura, about 100 miles north of Christchurch. Two people died and a rock slide took out the main highway and the rail link to New Zealand’s north island. (Photo is from Marlborough District Council)
Many people left homeless by the big quake left town. And they left for good. Jobs are hard to come by (unless you’re in construction) and people don’t want to raise families on such an active fault line. City leaders don’t want to rebuild Christchurch. They want to create a 21st Century city, making it greener and more efficient for businesses and residents.
When you see a wealthy, educated country like New Zealand struggle to recover from this disaster you have to wonder if there’s any hope for places like Haiti.
The city’s Anglican cathedral, which lost its spire and many of its walls will be rebuilt, but it won’t be as grand.
This “Cardboard Cathedral” was built on the site of St. John the Baptist Church which was destroyed in ’11. Once the Anglican cathedral is repaired, the cardboard church will be donated to St. John the Baptist for their use. The “transitional church” is made from a combination of large cardboard tubes, concrete, wood, and stained glass. It opened less than 18-months after the quake struck.
Christchurch is more than a sprawling construction site. The hotel where I stayed is part of a cool, covered retail complex that has trolley cars running through it. Walking around is easy and safe and many tour guides point out before/after areas and explain how hard it’s been to rebuild.
Retail is back, thanks to some re-purposed shipping containers.
And there’s another great gondola system that let’s you soak in more of New Zealand’s stunning scenery.
