Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Tony Ryall (left), Minister of Health, visits Christchurch Hospital to get a status report on how it is coping. Pictured with David Meates, Hospital CBHD Chief Executive".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Jacobsen Tile building (formerly Maddison's Pub) on the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Montreal Street has its cornice work demolished after it become unsafe during Wednesday's earthquake".
Looking from the intersection of Worcester Boulevard and Montreal Street. The damaged Arts Centre is in the background with some of its wall boarded up. Going past it is a red Christchurch Sightseeing Tour bus which offers tours of central Christchurch.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Jacobsens Tile building (formerly Maddison's Pub) on the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Montreal Street has its cornice work demolished after it became unsafe in Wednesday's earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Jacobsens Tile building (formerly Maddison's Pub) on the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Montreal Street has its cornice work demolished after it become unsafe at Wednesday's earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Jacobsens Tile building (formerly Maddison's Pub) on the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Montreal Street has its cornice work demolished after it become unsafe at Wednesday's earthquake".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Jacobsen Tile building (formerly Maddison's Pub) on the corner of Moorhouse Avenue and Montreal Street has its cornice work demolished after it become unsafe during Wednesday's earthquake".
A Red Sticker on the window, the heading says 'Do not approach or enter this building'. These placards were used following the September earthquake to inform the public about the status of a building after it had been checked by engineers.
The "Nucleus" sculpture by Phil Price on the corner of High, Manchester and Lichfield Streets. It has been cordoned off with fencing and road cones, and on the right is a rubbish skip. In the background is the Westpac Building.
Damage to Metro Floor, where a section under the roof has been covered with a tarpaulin to protect it from the rain. Cordon fencing, plastic road barriers and road cones can be seen along the footpath and street.
Damage to the Victoria Street clock tower which stopped at the time of the 22 February earthquake. Sections of the base have been covered by black plastic sheeting and shipping containers protecting the road from the danger of it falling.
Today Aotearoa continues to take tentative steps back into level 2 of the Covid-19 response, so you might think it strange that I would be voluntarily stepping back into quarantine. But we’re the stepping back into the history – all … Continue reading →
Regarded as Christchurch’s oldest home, this two storey farm cottage was built in 1851-2 for Mr. Parkerson, a surgeon. It was built with 600 mm thick scoria stone blocks quarried from Lyttelton and roofed with Welsh slate. The layout of this cottage … Continue reading →
So much of the archaeology that we deal with on a daily basis, particularly from an artefacts perspective, is associated with the everyday domestic lives of Christchurch’s 19th century residents that it becomes quite easy to forget about the other … Continue reading →
As another year comes to an end, we present you with a selection of our favourite sites, discoveries and archaeology moments from 2014. It’s been a good year. We did a lot of digging…. …and recording. We found some cool … Continue reading →
We’ve talked about food in the 19th century before on the blog, but we’ve mostly focused on the weird and wonderful (because, let’s face it, therein lies the fun stuff). In reality, a lot of food in the 19th century … Continue reading →
We all know that fish oil is great for our skin and hair but does the use of whale oil tickle your moral compass? It was utilised for many household purposes during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and … Continue reading →
Recently, Peter Mitchell, one of our building archaeology specialists, recorded a 19th century residential dwelling just on the edge of Christchurch’s Central City. This dwelling was similar in form and function to others we have seen in Canterbury – it … Continue reading →
Living in Christchurch, I am grateful for many things, especially the quality of the tap water. In Christchurch we are very lucky because our tap water is of such purity that it doesn’t need to be treated with chlorine like … Continue reading →
We have published previously on the importance of buildings, be they residential or commercial, as an artefact in understanding 19th century culture in New Zealand. While it’s easy to overlook the humble cottage as a source of archaeological data, houses … Continue reading →
By Fabian Bell The Avon is a lovely river. Of course I know that many people will say that it is no better than a ditch, &c. I pity their want of taste. Of course the stream is narrow and does …
It was a warm fair day on the 16th December 1919, a light nor’easterly breeze was blowing through the city. Much the same weather was being experienced throughout the whole of the Dominion. T…
It's five years since the earthquake, and for the first time I feel a sense that the rebuild is taking effect. In this photo - the left hand building is on the way up, and the right hand building is on the way down.
mackenzie ave - this is five days after the quake - earlier photos on flickr show it developed over some time. Liquifaction - does some strange things.
The sign was relating to damage sustained from the Sept 2010 quake. Photoshopped by Alice to update it since the Feb 22nd quake.
Picture this, you are relaxing at home enjoying the afternoon sun. It is another beautiful Christchurch day in late 2017. There is a knock at the door, you’ve been expecting it. It is a member of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, here to conduct your prearranged interview. The interview request did not come as a surprise of course, you have been participating in these interviews yourself sporadically throughout your adult life, and prior to that you attended many alongside your parents. In fact, you have been answering the studies interview your whole life. Transcripts of these interviews sit in the studies database alongside copies of school reports, health records and a wealth of other information. It has been this way since birth, since your mother was approached back in 1977, not long after you had arrived in this world, and asked if she would consent to participating in the study. She, along with many other Cantabrian new mothers from that year, agreed and the Christchurch Health and Development Study was born. Since then, these interviews have become a matter of routine for you. As life went on many things changed, but one thing that was constant was the sporadic visit from an interviewer of the study. The current interview is a little different from most of the others, however. Last time an interviewer visited in 2012, you were asked if you would like to conduct an earthquake-specific interview, you agreed. This time, the same question was asked. Why? Well because you were there that day of course. The day of the 22nd February 2011 when a major earthquake struck Canterbury. You were there in the centre of the city as buildings came crashing down and people ran for safety. You were there for the chaos. Your knee dully aches, it never did quite heal properly and strangely seems to flare up whenever you think back to that day. A lasting reminder. It is a difficult subject, but you agree to the second earthquake-specific interview. You understand the purpose of the study, and the value of the data collected. You take a sip of the cup of tea politely made upon the interviewer’s arrival, lean back into the comfort of your couch and cast your mind back to that fateful day. So, what does this study mean? Why still participate, all these years later? Over time it has become more apparent as to how valuable this information could be, considering all the experiences through the life course, and to think of the experiences that others in the cohort have had too. How differently have events affected people from all walks of life, who just so happened to be born within the same few months. We can use the data from this study to better understand situations when using life course characteristics which can hopefully influence decision making and population health within New Zealand.
A photograph of bricks laid as a pathway in Churchill Park. Each brick has a message written on it.
A photograph of bricks laid as a pathway in Churchill Park. Each brick has a message written on it.
Shows Christchurch's Anglican cathedral receiving extensive treatment including blood, ambulances, scaffold and signs reading 'save!' In the background Christchurch's Catholic Cathedral says it wants its share of attention as well. Context: The focus of repairing the Christchurch Anglican cathedral appeared to draw focus and resources from the equally historic and damaged Catholic Cathedral. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett stands on a large carpet that represents the 'dole'; she has swept the detritus of 'job initiatives', 'unemployment' and 'job summit' under the carpet with a broom and says 'The benefit system is there and can sort of get as big as it needs to' Context - the Government has announced its business assistance package to Christchurch is to be watered down and then cease over the next few weeks. John Key and Paula Bennett have said that 'the dole will be there for them'. Clayton Cosgrove Labour's Canterbury Earthquake Recovery spokesperson says Prime Minister John Key and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett are cruelly missing the point in terms of Canterbury people who lose their jobs in the wake of the earthquakes. He says "They want jobs, and they want to know what the Government is going to do about ensuring Christchurch businesses can get up and running again". (Business Scoop 5 April 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).