To Punt or Not to Punt

I chose not to punt.  Wrong choise!  My afternoon tour was a ride in a small open boat propelled by a person punting (pushing the boat along the shallow water with a long pole.)  When we got back from our tour of the town at noon it was pouring rain so I cancelled my 2:30 tour.  By 3:00 the sun was shining brightly.

In the morning we took the included tour, a bus trip around the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.  Beginning in September 2010 and culminating in 2 massive earthquakes in 2011, the city was devastated.  I knew about the earthquakes, but no the extent of the devastation.

The cardboard Cathedral

Scaffolding where the bell tower was.

Very few of the downtown buildings were spared.  After the initial search for people trapped in the rubble, every building had to be searched and evaluated.  Only a few were deemed to be repairable.  Most of the larger buildings were destroyed and the rubble removed.  Now, over 6 years later, some of the buildings remain boarded up and/or enclosed by fencing.  The cathedral lost its entire bell tower and the rest was badly damaged.  They have just recently decided to rebuild.  In the meantime a "temporary " A-frame structure was erected using timbers covered with cardboard tubing for the frame.  Some of the buildings have steel "props" to hold them up until they can be strengthened.

University Art Building waiting for repairs

Steel "props"

 













The spirit of the people of Christchurch shows in signs around the town.  They will rebuild, but it will take a long time because of insurance issues and red tape.

The sign on the new building right across from the University Art Building boldly proclaims in neon lights "EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT."

Another building adds "I always knew you would come back."

The city has a lot of "green space."  45% of the downtown area has yet to be restored.  However, there was green space even befoer the earthquake in the extensive city parks and the Botanical Garden next to the museum.

Art on a rooftop.

Shells, shells everywhere!

We did not have nearly enough time to take in the museum which cover the history of the land from early settlers to modern times.  One exhibit was a home of an avid shell collector.