Christchurch before the Quake....

The River Avon runs through the centre of Christchurch giving it an English feel and the river itself is shallow, very clean, apparently has trout and salmon in its waters, and is fringed with trees. Old alder, oak and a variety of Birch trees that the city realises are ageing. So the city council is taking steps to slowly replace these beautiful specimens... It is after all a feature that gives the city its distinctive English atmosphere, particularly in winter. What a wonderful avenue along which to walk one's dog. Our dining room at the hotel overlooked this lovely vista and a 15 minute stroll along the river gets you to....


the City square...

Christchurch Cathedral Square before the big one 4th September 2010....some people enjoying Chess, on a clean crisp winter's day. Just a few weeks before the earthquake devastates the town.

Today I am revisiting my first day in Christchurch, the city that so sadly has just been hit by a large earthquake... 7.1 on Richter scale. I can' t believe that this is the second country that has geothermal activity that I have visited and shortly after my visit, there is a large earthquake not enough to take life, thank goodness, but certainly to cause industry, disruption and widespread damage. I feel for the residents of Christchurch and knowing the population is not that large, wonder if they will cope with the slow process of rebuilding. I am exceedingly lucky to have seen it in its pristine state. To visit now, would just be a disaster.

Water mains have burst, gas mains, roads uplifted, there is flooding, every house has sustained some kind of damage, especially in the CBD, where we were staying. And out hotel was not modern, so I doubt that it would have had earthquake proof measures incorporated in to its design. It would have been very difficult to move around. Petrol is running short as people panicked bought fuel in case a tsunami would occur, but that has not materialised. All the tourist attractions no doubt would have been, quite justly, closed. What would we have done without power and heating... in cold frosty temperatures. The Geologists said this quake was totally unexpected in that it did not occur on any known fault line.....!!!!

But this was the furtherest thing from our mind when we ate a delicious and large breakfast at the Holiday on Avon motel, accompanied by voluminous hot chocolates, we boarded the free shuttle to Cathedral Square to do some sightseeing on our first day in Christchurch.The Curator's house at the Botanic Gardens, now a restuarant with a beautiful herb garden attached, which supplies all the herbs for the restuarant. They say Christchurch is a very English city, and it certainly seems that way..

The Avon river.. Christchurch. It is so pretty, but I am not sure this bridge is still intact..



Unfortunately the square does not look as fresh, clean and neat and tidy as it did this day, when we were there. A group of maori dancers were performing songs and "poi" just outside the cathedral, well rehearsing really. Their performance they freely admitted was in its early form....

Quite an impressive piece of architecture for a small city, don't you think? The first pilgrims that sailed on the four ships tomake this place their new home, certainly had faith that the city would develop. For Christchurch to be dedicated a 'city', it had to have a cathedral, so the pilgrim visionaries built one, and it is still there for all to enjoy today, despite the quake. Indeed it may even have a few new parishioners after today's quake.
Reproduction in mosaics of one of four pilgrim ships that established Christchurch in 1850. It is found on the floor of the Cathedral.

http://www.firstfourships.co.nz/

Exert:Life on board was cramped. Steerage passengers were confined to a small space below the main deck. Single men slept in bunks 6½ feet long by 2 feet wide. Married couples shared a slightly wider bunk (3½ feet) and had a curtain for privacy. This space was used not only for sleeping, but also for storing everything needed for the voyage. There was a lack of fresh air, and dampness was a constant concern.

Basic food was provided, such as salted meat, flour, rice, biscuits and potatoes, but steerage passengers had to cook it themselves. A large table was fixed to the floor down the middle of the steerage area for this. A bucket was supplied for washing and laundry.

Cabin passengers had slightly better conditions. Living quarters had more space and privacy, and meals were cooked and served by stewards.

Many suffered from seasickness. The worst of this was during the first two weeks, but for some it continued for the whole voyage. Passengers passed the time at sea plotting the ship’s course, writing letters and diaries, sewing, playing cards and games, and dancing. Prayer meetings were held every morning and afternoon, and there was a full church service on Sundays. There were also school lessons for the children."

The altar area
The baptismal font..
.A door like this could withstand any earthquake or natural disaster. self evident....


. Tapestry cushions for the seat, like St John's in Brisbane, and, of course... it is a kiwi that is the subject matter here.


the Pulpit Wall of fantastic mosaics...
More mosaics... on the floor this time, they loved these sorts of things in mid 1800's...didn't they?

Interesting trivia around the swastika... I guess they had to explain this a lot over the year post WWII


.Note the swastika design...!!!
Not sure what this is for, other than what it says. If anyone knows more about it, pls leave a comment and enlighten me....

This is how we got around Central Christchurch

I guess the city is laughing all the way to the bank that it kept its city tram network... This was a tourist hop on hop off tram that stopped at all the major sites from Cathedral Square. For a small city, they really look after their tourists...

Beautiful architecture everywhere.....This is the arts centre where you can find many people doing different crafts from painting, ceramics, to older ladies spinning and knitting socks...






and the Canterbury Museum... free entry of course....