Christchurch CBD-Cordon, Gang-Banging Cops

Christchurch CBD-cordon focus. Friday 04.03.11. Continuing my National State-of-Emergency, military-cordon trek, I drove to Christchurch-CBD via Aikmans Rd & Papanui Rd, the former damaged by manholes raised several inches above the road surface.

Papanui Rd: Merivale shopping-mall, a two-storey building where the 22 February 2011 quake ripped off the brick-wall, exposing shops. A digger scraped rubble inside the steel-mesh-fence-cordon. An USAR bloke stood around just in case.

NZ's Bill of Rights, Section 21: "Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure, whether of the person, property, or correspondence, or otherwise."

NZ cops had a history of gang-banging, commissioner Rickard's case pertained. Mine was figurative. Posts back, I'd referred to cops given unlimited powers in a State-of-Emergency, where confrontational cops could target citizens, enemies-of-the-state, due to flimsy cop excuses, like "looting".

Gang-banging NZ cops: Three cops deleted all my snaps on my Nikon Coolpix camera memory-card. I'll call those cops Blank-cop, Grey-cop & Button-cop, as they didn't ID themselves despite demanding ID from me.

At that early stage in the National State-of-Emergency, the CBD-cordon was segments of steel-mesh-fencing around the CBD, manned by cops & NZDF-soldiers. The CBD-cordon hadn't yet morphed into 5 zones: 1, 2, 3, 4, central red-zone, no access. There'd been night-curfews & a media looting-narrative, as billions of bucks worth of buildings & belongings were trapped or smashed in the CBD.

Some people fled their CBD-homes, some stayed, having to ID themselves to cops & NZDF-soldiers whenever they entered or left the CBD- cordon. Aussie cops & Singapore-soldiers helped NZ forces keep civilians out of the CBD-cordon.

7pm. Moorhouse Ave / Monreal St (zone 1): Edge of the red-zone, CBD-cordon. Yellow, Hi-Vis vested cops confronted me, after I'd trekked past them, snapping them lounging below a Weetbix Kids billboard. Those cops, if alert, would've seen me trekking along Moorhouse Ave cordon towards them, snapping in bright, late afternoon sunlight.

I told Blank-cop to take his dust-mask off his unshaven face, as it was impossible for me, a deaf person, to lip-read him if he wore a mask. I asked him, "Why are you doing this?" He went blank, deferring to Grey-cop. Funny how cops go dilly when they see a camera. Yet civilians endured CCTV surveillance & speed-trap cameras daily at the best of times. Grey-cop rummaged in his jacket to find his pencil & pad & asked for my ID. (None.) He asked for my name & address. I gave.

Button-cop meanwhile repeatedly pressed the delete-button on my digital-camera, deleting all my snaps, exclaiming that I'd taken snaps of the Catholic Basilica, where twin-towers collapsed in the 22 February 2011 quake. He smirked while deleting my snaps, enjoying his petty-power. He feigned amazement I'd walked from Pavitt St, where I'd parked my car, then walked along Moorhouse Ave to Montreal St. He tried justifying his spite, like I'd been trekking inside the CBD-cordon. I told him my Catholic Basilica snaps were zoomed from Moorhouse Ave. I told him not to waste my camera batteries & that I'd walked further than him that afternoon.

Although snaps of collapsed Christ Church Cathedral & collapsed Catholic Basilica were published in the media since Day 1 of the 22 February 2011 quake, Button-cop implied taking Catholic Basilica snaps was the biggest crime in the universe!

When I continued along Moorhouse Ave into the setting sun, I thought, "No wonder NZ cops hired Aussie cops to strengthen them, during the National State-of-Emergency. I shouted back to the gang-banging cops: "You know my name, use it to see my blog. You'll enjoy it."

Sunday, two days later, the CBD-cordon was tightened, closer to the CBD, further from where I'd met the gang-bangers. Zone 1 opened, but it was red-zone, no access. So what was the point of the gang-bangers cops' harassment?

When I'd trekked part of the CBD-cordon along Bealey Ave two days before, Bealey Pharmacy ghost, Bealey Ave / Colombo St, was ruined. When I passed again, gang-bang day, it had been demolished & a pulverised, a red car placed on top of the rubble-pile. Button-cop had spitefully deleted Bealey Pharmacy, demolition-site snaps & Merivale Mall, ghost-shop snaps. I'd already told him they were Merivale snaps, far from Moorhouse Ave.

Asterisks below show more Button-cop deleted snaps:

* Fri 04.03.11. Bealey Ave / Whitmore St / London St / Fitzgerald Ave crossing: A Singapore-soldier directed traffic. NZDF-soldiers were paired with Singapore-soldiers at crossings all along the CBD-cordon that day.

* London St: quakemire still wasn't cleared, 10 days post-quake, despite London St becoming a main thoroughfare post-quake, gridlocked, whipping up dust. I cut down Perth St to avoid the traffic-jam while rush-hour traffic fed Stanmore Rd. I got jammed in liquefactioned Alexandra St while cars tried entering gridlocked Stanmore Rd.

* I drove along liquefactioned Pavitt St & parked by Leah's School. Trekking down Stanmore Rd was quicker than traffic grinding along the road, raising dust. I coolpixed water squirting up through bricks on a damaged footpath.

* Stanmore Rd / Worcester St crossing: I zoom-snapped ghost-shops. A foul smell came from cordoned-rubble in a corner-building. Two people were killed on Worcester St, when a brick-wall collapsed into Wicks Fish.

* Stanmore Rd: A collapsed garden-wall. I was gritty with dust. Schadenfreude, while I trekked faster than vehicle-traffic, while roads like Armagh St & Gloucester St fed heavy traffic into Stanmore Rd.

* Calmer Cashel St to Fitzgerald Ave cordon: Ghost-houses, a collapsed garage, a ruined-shop. David's Book Exchange ghost, where a wall was stripped off showing books & equipment. David's Book Exchange would be demolished.

* Fitzgerald Ave cordon to Moorhouse Ave: I trekked past Singapore-soldiers & NZDF-soldiers at CBB-cordon checkpoints, greeting them. Several cop cars drove passed me, none wanting to delete my snaps. A sweeper-truck, in a moving dust-cloud, sucked up quakemire along Fitzgerald Ave, then turned into Cashel St in a dust-cloud causing a Singapore-soldier to vanish until he escaped, choking.

* Fitzgerald Ave: I snapped deserted side-streets, like undulated, dusty Tuam St, dust blowing like beach dunes on a windy day. I snapped a Persian rug ghost-shop, thick quakemire outside.

* Fitzgerald Ave / Moorhouse Ave: Bus-depot ghost-buildings & ghost-workshops. Catholic Basilica in the distance. Rubbled footpath by St Paul's School along Moorhouse Ave.

* Moorhouse Ave: Railway-station-ghost: brick clock-tower, damaged in the 4 September 2010 quake & 22 February 2011 quake, despite wooden-reinforcements. Manchester St cordon by CPIT tech buildings. (CPIT would later be renamed Ara). I bought a Coke at Pak 'n Save. A sign stated only 400 members of the public were allowed in Pak 'n Save at a time. A multi-storey ghost next to Pak 'n Save. A collapsed concrete-wall.

* Moorhouse Ave / Colombo St crossing: A concrete-block-supported & steel-braced overbridge, cordoned by orange-plastic-fences & road-cones, rife along Moorhouse Ave. Damaged Harvey Norman, fallen-bricks in the entrance carpark. A wood-braced wall.

* Moorhouse Ave: I snapped quakemire heaps & more broken-buildings, like car-dealers' walls & the scaffolded pub by Montreal St corner where I met the gang-banging cops. The pub would be demolished.

Beyond Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St crossing, after the gang-banging cops, I resumed snapping: Business semi-repaired gables; business fallen brick-gables; blue-portaloo near gang-banging cops; orange-plastic-road-cones; muddy-sinkhole in carpark, quakemired- roads. Cordoned Antigua St: ROAD CLOSED


04.03.11. Blue portaloo, yellow, Hi-Vis vested cops, orange, plastic, road cone cordon, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


04.03.11. ROAD CLOSED sign, steel mesh fence cordon beyond. Deserted, cordoned Antigua St, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Liquefaction sinkhole in business carpark, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Liquefaction muddied Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Quake damaged, semi repaired gables, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Quake fallen, brick gables, 1 blue tarped, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency

Selwyn St to Hagley Park: Collapsed brick-garage by a house where I'd snapped two weeks before. It was getting dark, so I quickened my pace past plastic-barrier-taped sections by the cricket ground.


04.03.11. Feb 22 quake collapsed, brick garage, damaged in the Sept 4 quake too, Selwyn St, national state of emergency

Riccarton Ave, Botanic Gardens: I crossed Avon River Bridge by a WARNING CONTAMINATED WATER sign & a blue & white Council- information-sign about a quake condolence-book which anyone could sign. There were several condolence-book signs in the Botanic Gardens.


04.03.11. Feb 22 quake Condolence Book sign, Christchurch Botanic Gdns, national state of emergency

Blue sign:

CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE
Tuesday 22 February 2011

A PLACE OF REFLECTION AND COMMEMORATION

All welcome to this peaceful place where you can simply reflect
and also leave messages in a book of condolences.

Available between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm daily.
Archery Lawn - Christchurch Botanic Gardens.


04.03.11. WARNING CONTAMINATED WATER sign, Botanic Gdns Bridge over Avon River, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Toilets Closed sign, Christchurch Botanic Gdns, national state of emergency

Several bits of Botanic Gardenns were plastic-barrier-tape-cordoned: public-toilets, the Peace Bell, some big trees. Another Botanic Gardens sign said Botanic Gardens were closed, Rolleston Ave.

After crossing another Avon River Bridge by Botanic Gardens carpark, I peed in a bush next to the public-toilet, as it too was closed. A hand-written sign on the closed toilet-gate: TOILETS
                                                                                                                               CLOSED.

Botanic Gardens, Armagh St Bridge: Twilight. Steel-mesh-fence-cordon across Park Tce: Three NZDF-soldiers sat on chairs, chatting-up girls (zone 1 / zone 4) near orange-plastic-road-cones, a tram & olive military-vehicle parked across the road. The tram would be stranded for three days before relocation to Ferrymead. I was unimpressed by NZDF-soldiers then, slack, bored, like the gang-banging cops. Singapore-soldiers were impressive, upright, alert, polite. Some young, not shaving yet.


04.03.11. 2 seated, NZDF soldiers, tram, olive military vehicle, orange, plastic, road cone cordon, Park Tce / Armagh St cordon, national state of emergency. The tram was stranded there for days, until moved to Ferrymead


04.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon, tram & olive military vehicle. Park Tce / Armagh St cordon, national state of emergency. NZDF soldiers' girlfriends sloping off

I'd seen a blonde girlfriend in the CBD-cordon chatting to three NZDF-soldiers, Moorhouse Ave / Barbadoes St cordon (zone 2 / red zone, no access). I doubted NZDF-soldiers would be alert on cordon-duty, distracted by girlfriends in the cordon. Why were girlfriends kafoofling with NZDF-soldiers supposedly guarding the CBD-cordon?


04.03.11. High rises PWC left, Forsyth Barr right seen from Park Tce down Armagh St, national state of emergency. PWC would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct. Craigs House & Victoria Square flats below Forsyth Barr would also be demolished. Despite quake damages, Forsyth Barr would survived the 2011-13 quakes & be refurbished as Crowne Plaza Hotel

Botanic Gardens: I trekked beside sewage-polluted Avon River. Fence-cordoned Park Tce on the opposite bank was too far away to see damages in the twilight. 22 February 2011 quake: People were killed in collapsed PGC & CTV multi-storeys, due to slack buildiing-inspections post 4 September 2010 quake. Twilight high-rises in the CBD looked OK from afar, but they were ghosts, awaiting demolition: PWC, Craigs House, Victoria Square Flats, Hotel Grand Chancellor...


04.03.11. Christchurch high rises seen from Hagley Park across Avon River & Park Tce, national state of emergency. The high rises would be demolished


04.03.11. Cancelled Ellerslie Flower Show marquee & quake tilted lamppost, Hagley Park. Marquee would later be used for the post quake memorial service, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Wind blown, quake weakened, fallen oak, Hagley Park, national state of emergency

Beside the steel-skeleton of a marquee with the setting-sun behind, I passed several felled oaks, two uprooted, one crushing a shipping- container, some sawn into logs as precaution. There'd been media-warnings about the 22 February 2011 quake loosening tree roots & later nor'westers felling trees. Fear-mongering, tree-surgeon adverts soon appeared. But few trees fell in the quakes, trees well adapted to quakes, rising & swaying while seismic waves passed.


04.03.11. London booze bus & orange, plastic, road cone cordon, Bealey Ave / Park Tce crossing, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Bealey Ave view, scaffolded, brick Carlton Hotel, damaged in the Sept 4 quake, trashed in the Feb 22 quake, national state of emergency. Carlton Hotel would be demolished, a new Burger King rebuilt


04.03.11. Blue portaloo, steel mesh fence cordon, Bealey Ave near Victoria St crossing, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, Saggio di vino, brick wall collapsed by the Feb 22 quake, Bealey Ave, national state of emergency. Saggio di vino would be demolished


04.03.11. Cordoned, brick Saggio di vino (soon demolished) damaged by the Sept 4 quake, trashed by the Feb 22 quake, national state of emergency, Bealey Ave / Victoria St


04.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, brick bldgs, damaged by the Sept 4 quake, trashed by the Feb 22 quake (soon demolished) Victoria St, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Orange, plastic tape, steel fence & steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake tilted, brick bldg (soon demolished) Victoria St, national state of emergency


04.03.11. ROAD CLOSED sign. Orange, plastic tape, steel fence, steel mesh fence cordon. Deserted Victoria St, seen from Bealey Ave cordon, national state of emergency

Bealey Ave: Twilight. Car lights on. A red double-decker, booze-bus passed. I zoom-snapped more 4 September 2010 & 22 February 2011 ghosts: Saggio di vino & Knox Church, brick rubble-heaps on footpaths, steel-mesh-fence-cordoned. The Jap TV crew still camped in a brown minibus on the road-island opposite Knox Church, which would be abandoned for two years before copper-cladding restoration. Orange, Hi-Vis vested soldiers guarded the CBD-cordon at intersections, NZDF-soldiers paired with Singapore-soldiers at steel-mesh-fence-cordons.

I trekked past ghosts I'd coolpixed days before, like scaffolded Carlton Hotel, awaiting demolition. I passed smelly footpath portaloos, oozing liquids, shit & hand-sanitizer pongs. Quakemire piles still lay roadside. USAR / TF graffiti polluted the footpath: circled pink & orange, spray-painted signage.


04.03.11. Steel fence, steel mesh fence cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier & orange, Hi-Vis vested, Singapore soldier at cordon, Bealey Ave / Victoria St crossing, by brick Knox Church, damaged by Sept 4 quake, trashed by Feb 22 quake, national state of emergency. Fallen brick gables & walls. Knox Church would be abandoned for 2 years, then restored in 2014 with copper clad walls


04.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, brick Knox Church, damaged by Sept 4 quake, trashed by Feb 22 quake, Victoria St, national state of emergency. Knox Church would be abandoned for 2 years, then restored in 2014 with copper clad walls


04.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel fence, steel mesh fence cordon. Orange Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier & orange, Hi-Vis vested, Singapore soldier, military cordon, Victoria St, national state of emergency


04.03.11. Memorial wreath on steel mesh fence cordon, quake damaged Knox Church, Victoria St, national state of emergency

Knox Church: A steel-mesh-fence-cordoned memorial, a floral wreath & hand-written tribute:

In
Remembrance
of those we
have lost

In a city that
we love

Kia kaha
Christchurch xx

USAR / TF graffiti & NZRT graffiti on Knox Church's brick, cracked nave-wall:

ALL RUBBLE
CLEAR [no bodies]

NO GO
NZTF 1
1/3

VRD2 - DOG
CLEARED [Sniffer-dog checked for bodies]


04.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon by quake damaged Knox Church, Victoria St, national state of emergency

 
04.03.11. Quake RUBBLE, USAR / TF graffiti, Knox Church brick wall, Bealey Ave. CLEAR meant no bodies




04.03.11. Quake rubble obstructing Bealey Ave by orange, plastic taped, steel fence cordoned, Knox Church, national state of emergency


Besides zones 4 & 3, I passed crossing-cordons manned by cops, NZDF-soldiers & Singapore-soldiers. Bealey Ave cops looked more impressive in blue uniforms than Moorhouse Ave gang-bangers.

Bealey Ave & Fitzgerald Ave cordons: I saw two NZDF-soldiers, seated, holding girlfriends' hands in the twilight while on cordon-duty. Looters paradise: Ruined backdrop to gang-banging cops & loafing NZDF-soldiers wooing girlfriends.


04.03.11. CBD cordon notice on power pole, Bealey Ave, national state of emergency

Bealey Ave: CBD-cordon notice on a power-pole:

Attention Public

There is a cordon in effect.

From the timings of 0600 to 1800
Only personal [sic] with legitimate reasons and
home owners are permitted to enter the
cordon.
Home owners please have proof of address
and identification ready for inspection.

At 1800 to 0600 the cordoned area is under
curfew.

The only personal [sic] permitted to enter are -
* Health professionals
* Canterbury council staff
* Contractors
* Media

No Exceptions

If you have any questions, please approach Police or NZDF personal. [sic]

Thank you for your co-operation.

The martial-law notice was unsigned. Who concocted that ignorant spelling: personal or personnel? For months, martial-law-cordons would obstruct CBD-residents needing ID papers when they entered or left the CBD-cordon.

For 28 months some residents, cops, military-contractors, councillors, & celebrities, like MPs, clergy & choir-boys would be allowed temporary entry into the CBD-cordon. The rest of us were banned. Business-owners would be allowed into the CBD-cordon, under escort, to salvage some business-belongings, their time restricted to a few hours.

Along the CBD-cordon I saw several military-vehicles, including Unimogs. The overkill LAV was gone from Bealey Ave / Fitzgerald Ave. What were the military thinking? NZDF-soldiers cuddling girls; NZDF-soldiers & gang-banging cops slouching on chairs at checkpoints. Were they quelling "looters"?

Later Luke told me he saw LAVs & Unimogs on Memorial Ave that Friday afternoon.

While snapping, it took me 3.75h trekking the CBD-cordon & more, as London St, Stanmore Rd & Hagley Park / Botanic Gardens were beyond the CBD-cordon.

Saturday 05.03.11. Quotes from The Press: After six months dithering, Minister of Earthquake Recovery Brownlee said the "old dungers" must go, referring to old, unstable, brick-buildings & stone-buildingd.

Lorraine North, Chairwoman, Canterbury Arts and Heritage Trust, Merivale, didn't get it. Despite Merivale old, brick ghost-shops trashed On Aikmans Rd & Papanui Rd she stated:

"Many of us [us?] value not only the aesthetics of our stone architecture but also the utopian 19th century values they represent... our most beautiful stone buildings reflect the importance our founding fathers attached to..."

Victorians & Edwardians had got it wrong: brick death-traps & stone death-traps in an earthquake zone. Lorraine wittered, while crushed-bodies still weren't identified at Burnham morgue.

Like post 4 September 2010, media hailed heritage-buildings. But Heritage-hailers were chary about who would maintain dangerous brick-buildings & stone-buildings, who would pay for post-quake repairs, (or demolitions & rubble-haulage), who would use the seedy, rickety heritage-builindgs? Example: Sydenham Heritage Church ghost, now a pile of demolished-rubble, had stood empty & unused for years, a stony- eyesore, Brougham St / Colombo St. (2024. The Press: Thirteen years later, Anglican church authorities would whine about funding for stalled Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement, requesting that congregants pay, rather than Heritage-hailers who wanted expensive reinstatement)!

Saturday 05.03.11 aftershocks: 2.29pm, M3.5; 4.39pm, M3.9; 7.34pm, M4.8.(Geonet). Shook our house.

Sunday 06.03.11. It rained heavily in the morning, still raining about 3pm when I drove from Burnside to town, to re-snap what Button-cop deleted on Friday:

Bealey Ave / Colombo St: Bealey Pharmacy demolition-site rubble, a damaged red car on top, steel-mesh-fence-cordoned.


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Bealey Pharmacy demolition site, Colombo St / Bealey Ave, national state of emergency


London St: Quakemired still. Gridlocked still, so I drove down bumpy, lumpy, muddy Perth St & joined muddy Alexandra St & muddy, cracked Stanmore Rd gridlocked still. Mud still wasn't cleared from those "main-roads". But rain had settled dust. Cars were using quake-cracked River Rd. Stanmore Rd / Avonside Dr traffic-lights were working at last. Gridlock ceased thereafter.


06.03.11. Quake damaged, concrete brick wall, Stanmore Rd / Hereford St, national state of emergency. The wall would be rebuilt


06.03.11. Quake damaged, red stickered, David's Book Exchange, Cashel St, national state of emergency. David's Book Exchange would be demolished



06.03.11. Quake collapsed, brick garage, Cashel St, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Quake collapsed, brick house wall, Cashel St, national state of emergency

Cashel St: My re-snaps included a fallen concrete-block garden-wall, a collapsed brick-garage & red-stickered, David's Book Exchange ghost, later demolished. Rubble-heaps all along. A white, two-storey, wooden-house was being board-repaired by a workman, a white, homemade sign above the doorway: LOOTERS WILL BE BEATEN. The B was crossed out to EATEN. On Friday, another homemade sign appeared on the doorway. Homemade signs sprang up all over Christchurch, written on cardboard, some humorous, some helpful: SLOW DOWN, FREE WATER...


06.03.11. Blue tarp. Board repair, quake damaged wooden house, Cashel St, national state of emergency



Cashel St / Fitzgerald Ave: CASHEL FISH & CHIPS ghost a mess, roof-trusses exposed, fallen brick-parapet & fallen side-wall, brick-rubble in driveway, plastic-barrier-taped, steel-mesh-fence-cordoned. The shop would be demolished.

06.03.11. Yellow & white, plastic tapes, steel mesh fence cordon. Quake damaged, brick Cashel Fish & Chips, Cashel St / Fitzgerald Ave, national state of emergency. Cashel Fish & Chips would be demolished



06.03.11. Earthquake Inspection Report, National Bank, Cashel St / Fitzgerald Ave, national state of emergency

Door sign, National Bank, Fitzgerald Ave. It was the first bank I used after our Christchurch arrival in 1995:

EARTHQUAKE INSPECTION REPORT

Dated 1/03/11                                 Time 15.20
Owner Name: National Bank - Fitzgerald Ave
Address 1
Address 2
Address 3 Christchurch

Subsequent to the earthquake / aftershock that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday
22nd February, a walk through inspection was conducted by Powell Fenwick
Consultants Ltd.

[Ticked box, green print]
Preliminary indications are that this building is not in immediate danger of
structural collapse and is safe to occupy.

[Unticked box, orange print]
Preliminary indications are that this building has significant damage and
should not be occupied. Restricted access only [illegible print]
Further assessment required.

[Unticked box, red print]
Preliminary indications are that this building has some areas of structural instability
and people should not enter or occupy until further
investigation and recommendations are undertaken.

Specific Notes [hand-written] Liquefaction - east
side of building, floor
level may be affected
No structural damage noted.

It is important to note that information is based on a visual assessment only. It is possible that
there is undiscovered damage that may become evident over the next few weeks. If this is the
case please note the areas you have observed and be in touch with the office to discuss them
if required.

[Ass covering by inspectors. What was the point of inspection if the building wasn't properly inspected?]

Please call our office on... immediately if you notice further damage or if you require
further information or assistance.

POWELL FENWICK CONSULTANTS LTD
Signed... on behalf of P.F.C. Ltd

The future Royal Commission of inquiry into collapse of CTV multi-storey nearby would uncover poor inspection-reporting done post 4 September 2010 quake, by consultants making money from inspection-reports like the above.

Fitzgerald Ave: The CBD-cordon had tightenned since Friday, so I parked near a Cashel St red-zone, steel-mesh-fence- cordon, deeper in the CBD, manned by three NZDF-soldiers. Singapore-soldiers had gone. I snapped USAR / TF spray-painted graffiti on broken-buildings. I snapped brick-rubble & a brick-crushed car on a footpath, broken-glass on a carpark, ROAD CLOSED sign on the steel-mesh-fence-cordon, zoom close-ups of the tilted Hotel Grand Chancellor. Several Sunday afternoon rubberneckers stood around chatting to NZDF-soldiers.

Cashel St: Beyond the CBD steel-mesh-fence-cordon, I snapped ghost-buildings: Scaffolded Provincial Hotel ghost, St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church ghost, both damaged in previous quakes, both would soon be demolished. Beyond was abandoned, Inland Revenue multi-storey, Madras St corner. Opposite IR, I couldn't see collapsed multi-storey CTV, where 115 people died. CTV was obscured by Holden Blackwell ghost in the forbidden cordon. Returning to my car, four blue uniformed cops sauntered past, livelier than than gang-bangers I'd encountered two days before on Moorhouse Ave.


06.03.11. Quake damaged, brick bldg, Cashel St, near the red zone, no access cordon, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Broken glass in carpark, Cashel St no access cordon, national state of emergency. CLEAR - USAR / TF graffito for Clear, no bodies


06.03.11. Quake crushed car, Cashel St, red zone, no access cordon, national state of emergency. Window C - USAR / TF graffito for Clear, no bodies. Steel mesh fence cordon beyond


06.03.11. Quake damaged, brick bldg, Cashel St, red zone, no access cordon, national state of emergency. Backdrop: quake tilted Hotel Grand Chancellor, would soon be demolished


06.03.11. ROAD CLOSED, Cashel St, steel mesh fence cordon, national state of emergency. Serial quake trashed, scaffolded, St Pauls Pacific Presbyterian Church left, would soon be demolished. Hotel Grand Chancellor behind right would soon be demolished


06.03.11. Cashel St, steel mesh fence cordon view, quake trashed Hotel Grand Chancellor, CBD red zone, national state of emergency. Hotel Grand Chancellor would be demolished


06.03.11. ROAD CLOSED. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Cyclist & NZDF soldier, red zone, Cashel St, national state of emergency. The bldgs would be demolished


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Civvies, NZDF soldiers, Cashel St, national state of emergency. Serial quake trashed, scaffolded Provincial Hotel, Barbadoes St cnr, top right, would soon be  demolished. Left bldgs would be demolished too


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Civvies, NZDF cordon soldier, Cashel St, national state of emergency. Serial quake trashed, scaffolded Provincial Hotel & St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church left, would soon be demolished. Abandoned Inland Revenue bldg beyond middle would survive the 2011-13 quakes

Fitzgerald Ave again: I snapped buckled, Tuam St, a black car bumping along the buckled road, driving closer to the red-zone, no access, CBD steel-mesh-fence-cordon.


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake buckled Tuam St, going to the CBD red zone, no access cordon, national state of emergency


06.03.11. White, plastic, tape cordon. Liquefaction trapped, brick wall, crushed cars in carpark, St Asaph St, national state of emergency. C on car windows meant Clear, no bodies


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake, brick wall damaged cars in  carpark, St Asaph St, national state of emergency. C on window meant Clear, no bodies.

St Asaph St: I snapped two wall-collapsed, crushed-cars, stuck in a quakemired carpark, by a ghost builing. Both cars' back windows had USAR / TF, C red spray-painted signs, showing Clear, no bodies.

St Asaph St / Barbadoes St: I told a NZDF-soldier, standing behind a steel-mesh-fence-cordon, that I'd seen ruins on his turf demolished post 4 September 2010 quake. Behind him I snapped a collapsed, old, brick-building, rubble on the footpath. He laughed when I told him gang-banger cops deleted my CBD-cordon snaps two days before.


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF soldier at red zone cordon, St Asaph St / Barbadoes St crossing, national state of emergency. Collapsed, old, brick bldg behind


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, brick parapet, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, St Asaph St, national state of emergency

Barbadoes St: I snapped brick, Community of the Sacred Name Convent ghost, damaged in the 4 September 2010 quake & Boxing Day quake. The Convent lost its brick-gables in the 22 February 2011 quake. Why didn't authorities demolished that old, brick Convent months before? It was an unsafe obstruction since 4 September 2010 quake. (Convent would be demolished post 13 June 2011 quake).

 St Asaph St: Beyond the NZDF-soldier, I snapped another brick-building, damaged by the 22 February 2011 quake, brick-parapet collapsed.


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Community of the Sacred Name convent, damaged by the Sept 4 quake, trashed by the Feb 22 quake, Barbadoes St, red zone, national state of emergency. Convent would be demolished


Barbadoes St / Ferry Rd crossing: Red-zone, no access, steel-mesh-fence-cordon, guarded by a NZDF-soldier, wearing a yellow, Hi-Vis vest. I snapped north side-views of the Catholic Basilica, twin-towers collapsed, cracks below the main dome. Beyond I snapped CBD skyline views of jutting high-rises, including Holiday Inn ghost & quake-tilted, Hotel Grand Chancellor ghost, both would be demolished.


06.03.11. NO ENTRY. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow, Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldier, Ferry Rd red zone cordon, national state of emergency. Backdrop: Holiday Inn & quake trashed Hotel Grand Chancellor, both would be demolished


06.03.11. Ferry Rd view, RC Cathedral, N facade. RC Cathedral was damaged by the Sept 4 quake, trashed by the Feb 22 quake, twin towers collapsed, red zone, no access cordon. Shipping containers would support the RC Cathedral front facade & transepts for years


Fitzgerald Ave / Moorhouse Ave: Cars ground by. Pedestrian rubberneckers dodged mud & brick-rubble on footpaths. I snapped bus-depot damage: fallen roof, fallen brick-wall, fallen brick-parapets, fallen brick-gables. Bus-depot ghosts would be demolished post 13 June 2011 quake.


06.03.11. Moorhouse Ave / Fitzgerald Ave bus depot view, CBD high rises in the red zone, no access cordon, national state of emergency. Quake trashed bus depot bldgs would be demolished post June 13 quake


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, brick bldgs, bus depot, Moorhouse Ave / Fitzgerald Ave, national state of emergency. Demolished post June 13 quake


26.10.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Bus depot demolition site, 8 months post Feb 22 quake, Moorhouse Ave / Fitzgerald Ave


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, brick bldg, Moorhouse Ave / Fitzgerald Ave, national state of emergency. Demolished post June 13 quake


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged brick bldg, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency. Demolished soon post Feb 22 quake

Moorhouse Ave: I snapped the Catholic Basilica ghost again, trashed western facade, towers collapsed, pics Button-cop deleted two days before. Stacked shipping-containers would support the western facade & transepts for years.


06.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged RC Cathedral W facade, collapsed twin towers, Barbadoes St, red zone cordon, national state of emergency. Stacked shipping containers would support the W facade & transepts for years

Moorhouse Ave / Barbadoes St, red-zone, no access crossing: two blue uniformed cops, in yellow, Hi-Vis jackets, check-pointed contractors' vehicles going into the CBD-cordon. Last Friday, I'd seen NZDF-soldiers & a girlfriend in the CBD-cordon. Since Friday, cops & NZDF-soldiers had smartened up: straight backs, folded arms, more alert, not slacking on looted-seats anymore. Not a girlfriend in sight.


06.03.11. Three alert NZDF soldiers, Manchester St red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, by Pak 'n Save, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Blue portaloos, Pak 'n Save carpark, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Moorhouse Ave, Pak 'n Save, quake sign, national state of emergency

Moorhouse Ave, Pak 'n Save window sign:

Due to Safety
Requirements
ONLY 400 People
are allowed
in the store
at any one time

THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING


06.03.11. Quake damaged bldg near Pak 'n Save, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished. Henry's would be built on site


06.03.11. Orange, plastic bollard cordon. Post Feb 22 quake, steel & concrete block braced, Moorhouse Ave overbridge by Colombo St crossing, national state of emergency. The overbridge would be repaired


Moorhouse Ave / Manchester St: At busy Pak 'n Save on the edge of the red-zone, no access CBD-cordon, I snapped the cordon & CBD skyline, then snapped broken-buildings I'd done on Friday: signs; cracked-building next to Pak 'n Save; collapsed concrete-wall; Harvey Norman, propped by wooden-bracing (soon to be demolished); weakened concrete-overbridge, strengthened by concrete-blocks & steel-bracing, orange / white plastic-bollard-cordoned. The overbridge would be repaired. For years thereafter, whenever I drove over that concrete-overbridge I held my breath, fearing collapse.


06.03.11. Cop car, orange, plastic, road cone cordon, Moorhouse Ave / Colombo St overbridge, national state of emergency. Beyond, old, brick station (Science Alive bldg). The clock in the wood braced, brick, clock tower stopped in the Sept 4 quake. The old station was trashed by the Feb 22 quake & would be demolished


06.03.11. Three alert NZDF soldiers at red zone cordon, Colombo St / Moorhouse Ave crossing, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Quake trashed, wood braced Harvey Norman brick bldg by cordoned overbridge, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency. Harvey Norman would be demolished


06.03.11. Green portaloo, liquefaction silt, buckled road, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency

Moorhouse Ave / Colombo St crossing: Three alert NZDF-soldiers guarded the red-zone, no access CBD-cordon. The comfy South City wooden bench I'd seen on Friday, with a seated Singapore-soldier, was discarded further down Colombo St. Military-discipline had tightened since Friday. Meanwhile citizens, still under martial-law, were banned from the red-zoned CBD. Pity businesses lost, trapped in the CBD-cordon, business-people stopped from accessing their business & property.


06.03.11. NO GO & X spray-painted on Feb 22 quake tilted, brick wall, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency

Moorhouse Ave again: I trekked past Durham St Sth crossing, at the edge of the no access red-zone, while snapping quakemire piles, busy traffic, orange-plastic-road-cone-cordons & damages en route. Some ghosts had NO GO spray-painted on walls, forbidding entry.


06.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Scaffolded pub, Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St, national state of emergency. Demolished post June 13 quake

Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St crossing (zone 1): I snapped the scaffolded two-storey, corner pub . (It would be demolished post 13 June 2011 quake). On the opposite corner the gang-banging cops were gone, but they'd left a mess for others to clean: chairs, table, plastic- crates, water-bottles, bicycle & steel-stand. A hand-written cardboard-sign:

MEDIA
PASSES


06.03.11. Cop media passes sign, Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St, zone 1 cordon, national state emergency


Further down Moorhouse Ave, a digital-road-sign:

ALL
CONTRACTORS
USE

MOORHOUSE /
BARBADOES
STREET


06.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordons, directing traffic, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Green portaloo, orange, plastic, road cone cordon, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Post Feb 22 quake, wood & steel braced bldgs, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency


06.03.11. Post Feb 22 quake, digital traffic sign, Moorhouse Ave, national state of emergency

Back at Pak 'n Save, I shopped, still only 400 shoppers allowed in Pak 'n Save at a time. A pretty, Samoan checkout girl had a white & yellow frangipani flower stuck in her hair above her ear. "You remind me of a Gauguin painting," I said. She smiled.

Months later after trial shopping At Hornby Pak 'n Save, I would change my weekly shopping to Moorhouse Ave, Pak 'n Save, as it had above-ground parking. Post-quakes I was spooked by underground & mall undercover parking. I'd seen too many collapsed garages.


One News, Mon 07.03.11, showed two blue uniformed cops patrolling in their Holden. Car patrolling cops were messing up broken-roads, weak water- pipes, weak sewage-pipes & weak drains, while polluting already polluted rubble & liquefaction dusty atmosphere with exhaust fumes.

Martial-law: Another TV item featured an Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) cop opining about four to six armed cops patrolling Christchurch that night, with guns. Were AOS stopping business-owners entering their own business-properties to retrieve business-chattels & business-records behind the red zone, CBD-cordon?

London St: Tues 08.03.11, two weeks post 22 February 2011 quake, I helped Leah clean-up her two teaching-rooms at her school. London St was quakemired still, while traffic ground past. Both sides of nearby Fitzgerald Ave in Zone 2 were opened, but by Avon Loop, near Leah's school, only one orange-plastic-road-coned lane was open, where Fitzgerald Ave's northbound lane collapsed, vast cracks roadside.

Dads had dug away most of the quakemire in the school playground & carpark. Some mud remained. A massive mud-heap remained outside the school gate, more mud-heaps along London St. The school was covered in liquefaction-dust, some outside window ledges 1/2cm thick with dust. The verandah in front of Leah's class was thick with dust. The playground too.

The cleaning-lady had already tidied Leah's first-floor office a bit, but Leah had to tidy her teaching-aids & paperwork. The 22 February 2011 quake had toppled a glass-fronted cupboard. The cleaner had left a plastic-crate full of broken-glass. I swept up powdered-glass on the carpet.

I left Leah to tidy. The staffroom was a mess: spilt coffee smeared on the floor, broken-glassware, powdered-glass, broken-crockery, chairs, books, periodicals strewn. Commercial-cleaners would soon clean the school.

Leah's classroom was a mess. While cleaning, I felt the terror: cloying liquefaction-dust, pasting my nose, eyes, mouth & throat, making me cough. A hell-corner: books, teaching-aids strewn, shelf-stuff on the floor, teacher's & kids' stuff scattered.

Leaving the teacher-desk & records for Leah to tidy, I rearranged tangled-desks, straightened a displaced steel-cupboard, rearranged tumbled chairs, cleared fallen teacher-aids, games, chalk & board-duster. I swept up masses of seeds, scattered from two plastic-buckets, the seeds for pet rats were crushed by the steel-cupboard.

Coda:

07.09.11. The Press headline: Earthquake photos Police produce charity book.

The Press reported: "'Christchurch 22.2 Beyond the Cordon' Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2011, features 256 images shot by police photographers as the rescue and recovery operation was underway...

All royalties from the book will go to the Christchurch Family Help Trust."

As media-cops (gang-bangers) I'd encountered six months before had check-pointed media-passes into the red-zone, CBD-cordon, they would've known about other media-cops & forensic-cops taking exclusive pics in the red-zone.

The cops' book Introduction stated: "While the photographers saw themselves as privileged in playing a part in victim identification, they were also the only photographers in the central city 'red zone' for three weeks after the initial earthquake. That meant they were the only ones able to capture events as they unfolded."

So what was the point of gang-banging media-cops, Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St? Anyone with a zoom-lens could've taken red-zone CBD-cordon snaps, if they weren't harassed by cops & NZDF-soldiers. Gang-banging media-cops were scared of competition from my zoom-pics of the Catholic Basilica which I'd snapped from Moorhouse Ave.

Christchurch civilians, who'd survived four major quakes & 1 000s of aftershocks over the last year, were still banned from the red-zone at the time of publication. There was talk of allowing foreign media-access to the red-zone CBD-cordon during Rugby World Cup. The gang-banging cops I'd encountered, Moorhouse Ave / Montreal St, protected their mates' exclusive pics in the red-zone.

Tue 19.11.13. The Press. More than two years later, a top cop would be indignant about senior constable Mayer admitting guilt at his trial for soliciting sex in uniform from the public whilst on duty. The cop ethos I endured during 2010-13 quakes!

*Trekked Moorhouse Ave, Selwyn St, Botanic Gardens, Armagh St, Hagley Park, Bealey Ave, Stanmore Rd, Cashel St, Tuam St, St Asaph St, Ferry Rd. 113 snaps.

Facebook:

The Star, 2 March 2011, a lawyer said, "Christchurch City Council inspected the building [CTV, 115 dead] following the September earthquake and deemed it safe for occupation." 3 Mar 4:34am.

Civil Defence, cops, military are thinking of relaxing the CBD-cordon for a while, to allow people to fetch possessions & business-records, to carry on business elsewhere. 3 Mar 6:15am.

NZ National government is coughing up $10 000 to families for those who died. Hope it covers a decent funeral & headstone / memorial.

Jake is not eligible for the one-off, $500 singles Red Cross grant, as he's luckily still being paid by his employer [business interruption insurance] despite no work. Waiting for the restaurant to be inspected. 3 Mar 7:20am.

Why haven't Civil Defence & Council cleared quakemire away on Stanmore Rd & London St? Those narrow roads, houses & businesses are covered in liquefaction-dust. Those tiny roads, gridlocked for a week, are now main roads past Leah's school, bottle-necking traffic from Bealey Ave & Avonside Dr & other roads' heavy traffic, like Armagh St.

Council is now sending water-tankers to spray Bealey Ave & Stanmore Rd to settle liquefaction-dust. It's ineffectual as quakemire needs to be cleared first! Think of all the germs settling into Leah's school after all that dust penetration. 3 Mar 8:28am.

Bealey Ave:  I walked along, spitting like a consumptive in a dust-storm. I wasn't going to swallow grit in my mouth, like cement dust. I had dust in my hair & beard too. (I used a dust-mask on my next trek).

Death toll 163. [Final toll 185]. National Memorial Service soon.
22 000 still without power.
PM John Key to visit bad suburbs today (One News). 4 Mar 6:54am.

78% have water, 89% have power.
50% heritage buildings red-stickered.
220 000 tons liquefaction-mud removed so far (One News). [500 000 tons, CERA, Sept]. 4 Mar 10:07am.

Death toll 165. [Final toll 185].
Saturday afternoon aftershocks: M3.5, M3.9, M4.8, shook our house.
Moorhouse Ave: Saturday, while I walked the CBD-cordon, three spiteful cops deleted my snaps. Aussie cops were hired to strengthen locals. Saw NZDF-soldiers holding girlfriends' hands in the CBD-cordon, LOL. Singapore-soldiers looked more professional. 5 Mar 7:07pm.

@John. Unsafe buildings are being demolished during the National State-of-Emergency, which is extended for another week, into the third week now. Snapped Beckenham Baptist Church last week. Trashed! Soon demolished. 8 Mar 12:16pm.

Death toll 166. [Final toll 185]. National Day of Mourning 18 March.
95% Christchurch connected to power. 81% connected to water.
10 000 homes may be lost (TV & The Press news).

@Alan. Many people are leaving Christchurch. Will they return? Much cleaning, demolitions, repairs & rebuilding to do. Workers & "foreigner" helpers & do-gooders are cluttering Christchurch. 9 Mar 8:04am.

@Maggie. Billions of dollars of destroyed & "safe" buildings. Belongings for the taking. Hence cops & NZDF-soldiers are alert. Cops borrowed a helicopter from Auckland to buzz Christchurch, looking for looters, day and night. 12 Mar 11:11am.

Some destroyed schools are doing double-shift, shared-schooling with safer schools, morning & afternoon shifts at shared-schools. Some parents are taking their school kids to other towns & cities for schooling. Leah's school is OK, but sewage-connections & water connections are kaput. Leah's school shares toilet & water facilities with a nearby school. 12 Mar 1:18pm.

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.