People stand beside the cordon fence on the Worcester Street bridge. The photographer comments, "This was some of the many people waiting for the White Lights of Hope to be turned on, but when they were we hardly noticed. Sadly it was a big disappointment".
A pigeon perches in the beams of a damaged building. The photographer comments, "The building next door was demolished after the Christchurch earthquake, which exposed the side of this building with it's very old corrugated iron walls. Some of the sheeting was damaged and exposed parts of the interior. The pigeon was sitting on a bit of wood with the beam above it had a very serious crack. I think you would be nervous as well".
A digitally manipulated image of a portaloo. The photographer comments, "It seems that it was a bit of a lottery if your portaloo was ever cleaned and emptied after the Christchurch earthquakes".
Graffiti of an angel clutching a bottle, accompanied by the text "Chritchurch (sic) living make a good man drink." The photographer comments, "Living in Christchurch during the earthquakes was hard on all of us. Some people got drunk to forget or blot out the aftershocks, whilst others dare not drink so that they would be in full control just in case another big earthquake/aftershock occurred. As of today 24 September 2011 there has been 8660 earthquakes/aftershocks in the Christchurch area".
Workers use a large water-blasting pipe to clear blocked drains. The photographer comments, "The Australian company Barry Bros Turned up very late at night to clean out our street drains of liquefaction".
A paint-splattered chair sits in front of a brightly-coloured piano painted with a cat's face, part of Gap Filler's Painted Piano Project. The photographer comments, "Gap filler I believe has created three sites filled with a stage area, seating and a piano. This one is at the Junction of Bower Ave and Marine Parade on the site of the demolished TJs Kazbah and opposite the now demolished Ozone. They have really brightened the corner up and we just need a few people to gather and have a nice night of it".
A demon mask hangs from a brick chimney in New Brighton. Some of the bricks at the base of the chimney appear to have moved. The photographer comments, "Since the September earthquake brick chimneys have been tumbling down. I do not know if this was put up to ward off shaking of the chimney during earthquakes, but it seems to be working. This chimney has now been taken down at the end of March 2012 and replaced with a simple metal flue".
Dried liquefaction in North New Brighton. The photographer comments, "This shape formed as the liquefaction after the 23 December earthquake in Christchurch started to dry out".
Dried liquefaction silt in North New Brighton. The photographer comments, "This is the result of liquefaction which spewed out after the double earthquake in Christchurch. Having flowed into a shallow depression that was deep enough for a fair quantity of the silty liquid to settle and separate: the heavy sand below and a talcum powder like substance on top. Some of these are so delicate that a mouse crossing them would probably crack them. Here the sun has dried them out and they have contracted and curled up towards their centres".
A digitally manipulated image of three arched windows in a damaged stone building.
Warning tape on the gate of a residential property near Cranmer Square. The photographer comments, "The yellow tape was put on the gate to warn property [owners] that the house beyond was unsafe. Now there is no house, but by the cobwebs on the handle the tape is doing a great job".
A digitally manipulated image of diggers sitting on top of rubble beside the old Railway Station. The photographer comments, "Which one will be buried 6 foot under?".
A digitally manipulated image of the Bandsmen's Memorial in Hagley Park. The photographer comments, "This memorial in Hagley Park in Christchurch can no longer be used due to large cracks at the base of most columns. This was mostly caused by the earthquake in February 2011, but later earthquakes have made the memorial even more dangerous".
A digitally manipulated photograph of a shop security shutter. The photographer comments, "Sometimes before you feel the ground rolling any metal shutters around start their rattling noises as if someone is shaking them".
A digitally manipulated image of a daffodil placed on the gates of QEII Stadium. The photographer comments, "Someone placed a daffodil on the gates to the QEII Stadium in Christchurch. The stadium is being razed to the ground after being very badly damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Besides being a Commonwealth Games stadium it was also housed one of the best swimming pools in the region".
A digitally manipulated photograph of twisted reinforcing rods amongst the rubble from the demolition of QEII. The photographer comments, "These rarely seen worms live in the pressurised earth under the foundations of buildings. They need a damp soil and be under at least 100 pounds of pressure per square inch. After the destructive force of an earthquake they swiftly rise to the surface through gaps in the rubble. Unfortunately they quickly die and then crystallise as hard as iron in the dry low pressure air".
A residential street in New Brighton. Liquefaction still lines the street, and lampposts are leaning in different directions. The photographer comments, "This is the New Brighton red zone, which is parallel to the Avon River. The area suffered serious liquefaction during the numerous earthquakes/aftershocks and the land is being bought by the government. Although the houses do not look too bad in the background they have suffered badly. On the day I took this picture the council had just hours before cut the grass, which made the area look less abandoned".
Two images of a house, taken before and after the earthquakes. In the after photograph the chimneys are gone, a column supporting the car port has partly collapsed, windows are broken, and the previously neat lawn and driveway are overgrown. The photographer comments, "This was a house that I was selling up to the September 2010 earthquake in Christchurch. It was on Avonside Drive, which was an area that has been badly hit in every earthquake that has hit the area. In the September quake parts of the house moved in different directions and one of the upstairs doors had to be smashed open to release one of the sons from his bedroom. This occurred in the dark with numerous aftershocks shaking the house. Liquefaction poured up through the floor and flowed down the drive. Everyone got out OK, but soon after the house was red stickered meaning it was dangerous to enter. The house was looted many times even though there was constant police patrols. When the most violent earthquake occurred on 22 February 2012 both the tall heavy chimneys came crashing through into the living areas. Subsequent earthquakes and aftershocks have caused one of the brick fence pillars to fall and the front garage pillar to break up and twist. The family's troubles did not end there. They moved into the home of one of their parents and this mansion of a home was so badly affected by the February earthquake that no one could enter to collect any of their or their parents' belongings. They now own a new home, which they are fond of except when the ground shakes yet again. There has been to date 10,712 earthquakes and aftershocks since 4 September 2010".
Dried liquefaction silt in North New Brighton. The photographer comments, "Wet liquefaction after an earthquake can soon start to dry up".
The former Ozone Dressing Sheds in North New Brighton, with broken and boarded-up windows. The photographer comments, "This is the Ozone as it was before it was demolished. It appeared to have been in the process of being redecorated internally, but the February Christchurch earthquake seems to have caused its demise".
In last week’s blog post, we talked about the use of light in Christchurch’s city streets and public spaces, from oil lamps to gas lights to electricity in the early 20th century. This week, we step out of the street and … Continue reading →
It seems almost expected now that many of us will go on semi-frequent overseas jaunts and visit the spectacular local scenery that New Zealand has to offer. However, most of us probably don’t often think about when these destinations became … Continue reading →
Today, art is my inspiration, at least as a starting point. The title of this blog post may seem whimsical, but it is both a practical description of our subject today and a reference to the art of centuries past. … Continue reading →
From 1919 until 1963, New Zealand audiences were guaranteed ‘snappy scenes, bright singing, excellent dancing and sparkling comedy’ when attending a Stan Lawson Production.
Pre-February Earthquake
Christchurch city experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on September 4, at 4:35 am. The epicentre was 40 km west of the city. It is the most damaging earthquake in New Zealand since the Hawke's Bay earthquake in 1931, but there was no loss of life. It was fortunate the earthquake occurred when the central city streets were deserted, as there ...
One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. A view in Sydenham suburb - Columbo St Twitter | Facebook | My Website |
One Month after the Christchurch Earthquake. The mangled remains of the pedestrian bridge over the river Avon Twitter | Facebook | My ...
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