6 - 8 Feb 2018
The Two Towers
At 12.51pm on 22 February 2011, Ruaumoko, God of
earthquakes and volcanoes, kicked the earth below Christchurch. Twenty four seconds
later, 80% of the central district was destroyed and over 180 people had lost
their lives. *
Arriving in Christchurch on an overcast and cool afternoon, we were
confronted with what looked like an enormous building site. Walking out in the
evening everywhere was very quiet, and the place had a slightly eerie feel. The
next day we discovered that (a) the previous day had been a public holiday,
hence the quietness, and (b) the sun shone and the city was much livelier.
Walking past the ruins of Christchurch cathedral, we headed for the Transitional
Cathedral, commonly known as the “cardboard cathedral”. This amazing structure,
designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, was built in only 11 months,
using recycled materials, including shipping containers and 98 enormous
cardboard tubes.
Next we visited the Quake City exhibition, with artefacts, photographs
and a rather moving film of locals recounting their experiences on that fateful
February day.
In the afternoon we rode the Christchurch Gondola to the top Mt
Cavendish with views over the city,
then had a short walk through the botanical
gardens alongside the River Avon!
We could easily have spent more time here, but I expect we shall be
saying that many times in the next few weeks
· * The Maori
explanation for the 6.3 magnitude earthquake, 5km below Christchurch and
centred 10km to the South.
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