One week on

It is now one week on from when the devastating earthquake struck Christchurch.  We were in the second day of our holiday and were staying at Pongaroa when we heard the news on the radio.  We could not get TV reception in this area, and had very limited cell phone coverage.  A hurried phone call to son Michael who lives in Christchurch, assured us that he was safe and well.  As  we moved around  coastal Wairarapa during the week, news coverage fluctuated.  Some days we could get TV and sat glued to the screen watching the disaster and see the huge rescue effort take place, other days we were back to catching up with news on just the radio.  And in these out of the way areas there was nothing in the way of internet connections, or cell phone coverage.  Now we are back in a town, we have finally seen a newspaper spelling everything out in the graphic photos.  Our hearts go out to all those suffering in Christchurch.  The death toll will surely rise as the teams slowly pick their way through the rubble of the pan caked buildings in the city centre.  It is wonderful to see how much international help has arrived  with Urban Search and Rescue Teams coming from many countries.  University students answered the social media call and arrived in the suburbs in droves armed with shovels and wheelbarrows to help the residents remove the stinking mass of mud and muck from their properties.  Then we heard about the “Farmy Army”, rural people arriving to help out too.  The Kiwi spirit is alive and well, and Christchurch will rise again from this tragedy.