Thurs 16.09.10. Darfield Quake. Day 13. Riccarton Shaken

Thurs 16.09.10. Darfield Quake. Day 13. Riccarton focus. State of Emergency was over. I'd seen enough damaged & demolished bldgs to last a lifetime. I'd seen enough repairs & demolitions which quickly changed some areas of Christchurch. Some areas were slower in demolitions & repairs.

An overcast, cold morning, when I drove to Church Corner, Riccarton Rd / Yaldhurst Rd fork, to coolpix damaged St Peter's Church, the oldest Anglican Church in Christchurch. When we'd arrived in Christchurch 15 years before, we'd stayed our first weekend at Riccarton Campsite opp St Peter's Anglican Church.

The church was cordoned with red, yellow, plastic, DANGER tapes. East transept gable toppled, church doors yellow stickered. Archbishop Victoria Matthews wandered past giving me a refulgent smile. We didn't know she would soon be maligned by Heritage hailers.

Church door sign:

     Dangerous.

Blocks and bricks 
         loose

Nobody to go into the 
    church without 
  permission of the 
         vicar.

Another door sign:

Wedding in Parish Hall.

Sunday Services also in 
     the Parish Hall.

       All welcome.

A good place to end my quake trekking (wishful thinking) an Anglican church in Christchurch. But Facebook dialogue would continue, as would 3 years of aftershocks, more quake trekking.


16.09.10. Yellow, plastic, tape cordon, CIVIL DEFENCE. Quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Red, plastic, tape cordon. Quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Red, plastic, tape cordoned, DANGER. Quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Yellow stickered, red, plastic, tape cordoned, St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Gargoyles, quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10.  Red, plastic, tape cordoned, yellow stickered door, quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Red, plastic, tape cordoned door, quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch


16.09.10. Church notices on door, quake damaged St Peter's Anglican Church, Riccarton Rd, Christchurch

*Trekked Riccarton Rd, Church Corner. 8 snaps.

I would stop snapping a while, as I was exhausted. Over 13 quake days, I'd trekked 90 streets, some several times. I needed to write blog posts, edit, upload snaps on my Woza Wanderer blog & Facebook.

Facebook:

Today I drove down Moorhouse Ave for the first time since the quake: couple of old brick bldgs roof damaged. Containers lined the road before the old brick station clock tower, just in case... Looked at demolitions, clean ups on Riccarton Rd & St Peters Anglican Church: small gable damage, but unstable stone walls, gargoyles did well. 16 September 11.20am.

Luke & tech builder mates minibus toured quake damaged Lyttelton yesterday with their tutor who lives there. Discussion on damage to retaining walls, as Lyttelton is built on steep Port Hills slopes. Two days post quake, Luke & his builder boss repaired a quake damaged chimney on a Manchester St house, central Chch. 16 September 1.37pm.

Christchurch quake State of Emergency over yesterday, Wednesday. A cop, 2 NZDF soldiers sat in a car watching me while I took photos of road & garden damage near Locksley Ave by Avon River. Glad troops have left Chch streets. 16 Sept 2.28pm.

Facebook friends worried that Christchurch looked like a war zone & queried looting.

Coda.

St Peters would be damaged again in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. The church would be closed, scaffolded for years. After a rebuild, St Peters would reopen 10 years after that quake, Sunday 28.02.21.

Content & pics Mark JS Esslemont.