Like all New Zealanders, we had seen television pictures of the centre of Christchurch after the devastating February earthquake last year. Buildings in ruins, and later on the bulldozers were sent in to demolish many of these buildings. On our last day in Christchurch we went to see for ourselves, and commented that the pictures on TV do not do justice to the huge scale of the damage. The heart of the central business district is cordoned off, buildings are empty and boarded up and empty spaces show where other buildings once stood. The Bridge of Remembrance is fenced off and the damage is plain to see.
Away in the distance we could just make of the remains of Christchurch Cathedral, which suffered considerable damage and is unlikely to be rebuilt. The spire came crashing down and the stained glass windows were destroyed. The Cathedral is considered to be the heart of the city and once stood proudly in Cathedral Square.
Many of the empty buildings have “cleared” signs spray painted on the windows showing how the whole of the central city was searched and cleared after the earthquake by urban Search and Rescue teams. Many teams came from overseas to help with the recovery.
A new “shopping centre” constructed of brightly painted containers has brought some life back into the city. People now have an area to shop, or have a coffee with friends, and some businesses are able to start trading again. This area was buzzing with workers and sightseers alike.
Even though it was rather sobering to walk around the cordoned off area and look through the chain link fence, we agreed that it was beneficial to give us a greater understanding of the damage suffered here.
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