Wednesday - January 15, 2014 Christchurch

WEDNESDAY – JANUARY 15, 2014

BOTTOM LINE:

Drove from Tekipo to Christchurch

BACKSTORY:

Piling into the bus, we were off on time and on our way to Christchurch.  Our ride was spent learning about the current condition of the city.

Christchurch is the largest city on the southern island of New Zealand.  It has the world’s deepest natural harbor and the world’s smallest and rarest Hector dolphin. Christchurch is home to Hagley park in its city center which is third largest in the world behind Central Park in NYC and Stanley Park in Vancouver BC.

Christchurch is a city in transition and quite frankly a solemn city.  In 2010/11 it suffered three sizeable earthquakes. The downtown center stands with concrete and rebar rubble, vacant lots where dust devils dance or fenced areas where irreparable buildings are waiting to be torn down.  Historical buildings are being taken down one stone at a time to attempt to rebuild.  Transit lines going into the city center end at nothing.  The large shopping mall is gone.  The spirit of survival is strong. A funky Re:start mall made out of shipping containers has emerged.  The containers are stacked and positioned to allow businesses on a smaller scale to operate until future spaces are constructed.  The Neo-gothic Christchurch Cathedral sustained major damage.  A cardboard temporary church has been constructed to house Sunday worshippers.  A memorial of 185 different chairs all painted white sit on a patch of grass representing the 185 people who died when a building collapsed.  A white infant seat was among the chairs and brought a moment of angst to my heart.

Christchurch rail to nowhere

  

  

 

Shoring up a building

 

Buildings to repair or rip down

 

"Re-Store" mall in make shift shipping containers

 

Cathedral before

Cathedral after

 

Temporary cardboard cathedral

Memorial for 185 who died in a collapsed building

Returning from the downtown area, we headed across the street from our Hostel to the Botanical gardens.  Yes…another botanical garden!!!  Bruce and I like walking through the gardens for ideas and to learn about plants native to a particular area.

 Garden water fountain

  

Bird bath

Trellis garden

 

Bee hive for pollination

This botanical garden was more like a huge park for the community to enjoy.  Many plant names were marked.  The area that I was most interested in was the herb and veggie garden area.  I got many ideas for planting in my garden at home. 

Curators Cafe & cottage