Using his martial law powers, CD boss Hamilton had militarized the CBD cordon, dividing it into zones, manned by NZDF checkpoints. We would endure NZDF cordoned zones for 28 months. When CERA took over from CD, military jargon & NZDF soldier checkpoints would continue.
Cordons, military censorship: For 3 weeks post quake, only cops were allowed photographs inside the CBD cordon. Thereafter, media showed little about what happened inside the CBD cordon & zones. For insider snaps, media photographers needed media passes from cops to do military tours of CBD ruins. Like me, private photographers trekked outside CBD cordons for outsider snaps.
10.03.11. Grey portaloo, Hagley Ave, national state of emergency
Hagley Ave: People sat on grass in Hagley Park Park opp Hagley College. I passed a grey portaloo on the pavement & two tourist buses disgorging luggage & wary tourists. Where they'd stay was moot, as accommodation was used by out of town quake workers: USAR / TF, bldg inspectors, cops, CD, media.
10.03.11. White plastic & red plastic, tape cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged Antigua St Footbridge over Avon River, Antigua Boat Sheds, YMCA backdrop, national state of emergency
DANGER KEEP OUT. I couldn't cross the Avon River by Antigua Boat Shed, as Antigua St Footbridge was buckled, plastic taped cordoned. Trekked down liquefaction cleared Christchurch Hospital carpark, past an orange, plastic bollard cordon & crossed Avon River via the Hospital Bridge.
Rolleston Ave: I trekked by the plastic tape & steel mesh fence cordon, zone 1 cordon. Botanic Gdns gates were locked. Cars were allowed along that section of Rolleston Ave, but there were few vehicles. Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, usually teemed with tourists, tourist buses, foot & vehicle traffic, office workers, school boys, people going about business & pleasure.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic bollard cordon by Feb 22 liquefactioned carpark, Christchurch Hospital, Rolleston Ave, national state of emergency
Deserted when I trekked zone 1 cordon, except for more NZDF soldiers at cordon checkpoints than public. Plenty of CD workers, bldg inspectors, workmen repairing bldgs. The closer I got to Central Police multi-storey, there were lots of foot cops, cop cars drifting by.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, white plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged Arts Centre (bldgs also damaged by the Sept 4 quake) Rolleston Ave / Hereford St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. The Arts Centre would be repaired
10.03.11. Yellow, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged, Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged Arts Centre (bldgs also damaged in Sept 4 quake) Rolleston Ave / Worcester Blvd, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. The Arts Centre would be repaired
Rolleston Ave: Plastic tape formed an avenue on the pavement by Botanic Gdns, for walkers, joggers. I passed the YMCA & steel mesh fence cordoned, Arts Centre ghost, greystone & whitestone rubble on the pavement. Old stone bldgs were damaged in the Sept 4 Darfield Quake. More damaged by the Feb 22 Killer Quake.
Rolleston Ave / Worcester Blvd: Greystone Canterbury Museum, steel mesh fence cordoned, but outside it looked undamaged. I snapped fence cordoned Worcester Blvd, cranes by the quake damaged Arts Centre. I zoom-snapped Christ Church Cathedral ghost, toppled tower obscured by Worcester Blvd trees.
10.03.11. White, plastic tape, orange, plastic road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow crane truck, Zone 1 cordon, Rolleston Ave view, red zone cordoned Worcester Blvd, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Rolleston Ave view, red zone cordoned Worcester Blvd to Christ Church Cathedral, collapsed tower obscured by trees, National State of Emergency. The rose window facade would collapse in the 13.06.11 quake
Rolleston Ave / Worcester Blvd: A Maori woman in orange, Hi-Vis vest leaned on the greystone plinth of the Godley statue, which had fallen during the Feb 22 Killer Quake. She stared down deserted Worcester Blvd. "You've got the best view in town," I said. She laughed.
Rolleston Ave: Christ's College: Broken windows. Workmen in a crane boom box inspected the school's greystone parapets. Stonework had sheared off above some windows. Through the school gate, I saw damage to a stone gable & slate roof across Christ's College grassy courtyard, KEEP CLEAR, DANGER KEEP OUT threat signs on the school gate, 2 Hi-Vis vested workmen lounging by the school office, a truck parked inside the gate. Post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, besides ubiquitous, plastic, police DANGER cordon tapes, construction & demolition threat signs proliferated.
10.03.11. Silver crane hoisted workman inspecting Feb 22 quake damaged parapet, Christ's College, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake broken windows, Christ's College, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. DANGER after Feb 22 quake, Christ's College entrance, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged bldgs, Christ's College, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Four God Pimps minced past wearing yellow, Hi-Vis jackets, each labelled: CHAPLAIN. Their God hadn't stopped collapse of so many Christchurch churches. I snapped quake jumbled music stands on an airbridge between Christ's College bldgs.
10.03.11. Airbridge. Feb 22 quake jumbled music stands, Christ's College, Rolleston Ave, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Rolleston Ave / Armagh St: The join of zone 1 & still forbidden, steel meshed fence cordoned Zone 4 along Park Tce. NZDF soldiers & a Singapore soldier stood guard by a beige Unimog. Days before, I'd seen slack NZDF soldiers seated by a table, chatting up girls at that checkpoint beside Avon River. Thursday's zone 1, NZDF & Singapore checkpoint soldiers looked smarter, more alert.
10.03.11. Hi-Vis vested, NZDF soldiers at steel mesh fence cordon, zone 1 / zone 4 cordons, Park Tce / Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange, Hi-Vis vested, Singapore soldier at cordon, zone 1 / zone 4 cordons, Rolleston Ave / Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF beige Unimog behind zone 4 cordon fence, Rolleston Ave / Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake toppled brick wall, Armagh St, zone 4 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Yellow, plastic, tape cordon. Feb 22 quake collapsed brick walls, Armagh St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Red & blue crane truck, Feb 22 liquefaction silt, zone 1 cordon, Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. White, plastic, tape cordon. Feb 22 quake collapsed, brick parapet, zone 1 cordon, Armagh St, national state of emergency
Armagh St: Roadside quakemire heaps. Fallen brick garden walls, house parapet on pavement, garden, plastic tape cordoned. I veered round a steel mesh fence cordoned bldg. Cranmer Sq was steel mesh fence cordoned, a blue portaloo under a tree. After quake damage in the Sept 4 Darfield Quake, 3 storey, brick Cranmer Centre was trashed in the Feb 22 Killer Quake, HAZARD & KEEP OUT threat signs on the cordon fence. Two Hi-Vis vested bldg inspectors checked Cranmer Centre in the steel mesh fence cordon while I passed: scaffolded; brick gables ripped off; brick walls fallen Montreal St side, exposing 2 rooms; rubble on pavement & road. Cranmer Centre ghost would soon be demolished.
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon & blue portaloo, Cranmer Sq, between zone 1 & zone 4 cordons, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Sept 4 quake damaged, Feb 22 quake trashed, scaffolded, Cranmer Centre, Armagh St / Montreal St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. Cranmer Centre would be demolished
Montreal St: Steel mesh fence cordoned. Opp Cranmer Centre, brick Windsor Hotel trashed, bricks fallen, USAR / TF graffiti on brick wall by front door, red stickered, white, plastic tape cordoned: DANGER KEEP OUT. The reason why Windsor Hotel scaffolding had not completely collapsed: a new tilt slab bldg alongside held Windsor Hotel scaffolding up. Windsor Hotel ghost would soon be demolished.
Windsor Hotel, red stickered. USAR / TF pink spray-painted in a square & circle on the cracked brick verandah wall:
QLDTF1
1845
27.2
10.03.11. Sept 4 quake damaged, Feb 22 quake trashed Windsor Hotel, Armagh St / Montreal St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. Windsor Hotel would be demolished
10.03.11. DANGER KEEP OUT. Feb 22 quake trashed, white, plastic, tape cordoned, Windsor Hotel, Armagh St. CLEAR is USAR / TF graffito for no bodies. Windsor Hotel would be demolished
Armagh St / Cranmer Sq: Paired NZDF & Singapore soldiers guarded at Braemar Apartments. 2 looted chairs? Beyond Cranmer Sq, I saw greystone, Cranmer Court ghost, Kilmore St, completely trashed. Cranmer Court was badly damaged by the Sept 4 Darfield Quake too. Bldg inspectors would have much explaining to do once Feb 22 Killer Quake dust settled.
Post 2011 Xmas Quake Swarm, Cranmer Court would be demolished in 2012, after public protests. A decade post quakes, new Cranmer Terraces townhouses would be built on site.
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon around quake damaged, road drain. Feb 22 quake trashed B & B's, yellow, plastic tape cordoned, zone 1 cordon, Armagh St, national state of emergency
Armagh St: Snapped old, wood & brick, B & B's: One 2 storey B & B, brick side wall fallen, exposing rooms, walls USAR / TF graffitied. Another B & B being evacuated by owners, the front door taken off, pavement slimed by thick, grey quakemire, yellow, plastic, tape cordoned, RESTRICTED AREA. The Devon B & B, front door red stickered, USAR / TF pink graffitied, bricks fallen into carpark, white, plastic, tape cordoned, DANGER KEEP OUT. Neighbouring modern bldgs had stood up well to the Feb 22 Killer Quake.
The Devon, red stickered. USAR / TF pink spray-painted in a square & circle on the front door:
NG
QLDTF1
22.16
27.2.11
Saw many modern bldgs in the CBD cordon which had withstood the Feb 22 Killer Quake, high rises too. International cash donations for Christchurch rebuild were helped by sensational media reporting. The Japanese quake, tsunami & Fukushima nuclear radiation would soon stop rebuild donations flowing into Christchurch.
10.03.11. Red stickered door on pavement. RESTRICTED AREA. Yellow, plastic, tape cordon. Feb 22 quake liquefactioned B & B, Armagh St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. White, plastic, tape cordon. The Devon B & B, liquefactioned, red stickered, USAR / TF graffitied. Collapsed old, brick wall in carpark, Armagh St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Passed 4 bldg inspectors wearing hard hats: 2 orange overalled, 1 wearing an orange, Hi-Vis Vest, 1 wearing a yellow, Hi-Vis vest. 2 fire engines passed whipping up grey liquefaction dust.
Armagh St / Durham St Nth crossing: Checkpoint guarded by 1 NZDF soldier, 1 Singapore soldier. Zone 1, steel mesh fence cordon turned at right angles across Durham St Nth / Armagh St towards Avon River. In the opp direction along Durham St Nth, the right angled fence cordon joined zone 4, with 3 yellow, Hi-Vis vested cops relaxing on chairs in the cordon, near the casino. Up Durham St Nth, 3 organ fixers from Timaru were killed when the greystone Methodist Church collapsed in the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Stone rubble still on road. Fence cordoned, Methodist Church ghost was already badly damaged by the Sept 4 Darfield Quake. Who had allowed those 3 organ fixers into the Methodist Church?
2019. Durham St Methodist Church would be rebuilt modern style, ugly bldg, truncated tower. New church towers would be passe in post quake rebuilds. Example: 2021-22. St Mary's Catholic Church, Afghan St, Pleasant Point would be demolished, rebuilt, sans tower.
Down Armagh St, just beyond the steel mesh fence cordoned, red zone: a stone rubble heap between the old, stone, intact, Law Court bldg & the wooden section of the Feb 22 Killer Quake trashed, old, stone Provincial Chambers, roof trusses & a 2nd storey room exposed. Down Durham St Nth, red stickered, 1853 Provincial Chambers, having survived Victorian times & a century of passing motor traffic: greystone walls, slate roof & scaffolding had collapsed onto the road, steel mesh fence cordoned too. After many years' lockdown, Provincial Chambers would be restored. Opp Amuri Courts wall was pink USAR / TF graffitied. Amuri Courts would be demolished, 2012, replaced by Awly Bldg, multi-storey office rebuild, opened 2016.
10.03.11. Orange overalled & Hi-Vis vested, bldg inspectors, zone 1 cordon, Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Fire engines & Feb 22 liquefaction dust, zone 1 cordon, Armagh St, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF soldier, Singapore soldier, rubberneckers, zone 1 / zone 4 crossing, Armagh St / Durham St Nth crossing, national state of emergency. Methodist Church left, collapsed in the Feb 22 quake, killing 3 people
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Rubbernecker cyclist, Singapore soldier, no access, red zone cordon, Armagh St / Durham St Nth, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Red, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Durham St Nth view into red zone, Armagh St, national state of emergency. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct
10.03.11. Photographer. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Armagh St / Durham St Nth crossing view, abandoned, red zone CBD. PWC middle would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct. Victoria Square flats & Craigs House right would be demolished for the new Convention Centre
A new RC Cathedral precinct would be planned for the PWC demo site. The new Convention Centre would be built on Victoria Square Flats & Craigs House demo sites.
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Sept 4 quake damaged, Feb 22 quake trashed Provincial Chambers, Durham St Nth / Gloucester St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. Abandoned Rydges Hotel & Clarendon Tower beyond. Clarendon Tower would be demolished
10.03.12. Red, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Sept 4 quake damaged, Feb 22 quake trashed Provincial Chambers, Durham St Nth / Gloucester St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, white, plastic, tape cordon. 3 NZDF soldiers, Singapore soldier & blonde, zone 1 cordon, Gloucester St / Cambridge Tce, national state of emergency
Cambridge Tce / Gloucester St checkpoint: White, plastic, tape cordoned. NO ENTRY road sign by trashed Provincial Chambers. Three NZDF soldiers, 1 Singapore soldier chatted to a blonde. Gloucester St ghosts: CBD high rises, Farmers, Grant Thornton, Central Library. Lift shaft glass was gone on Brannigans. Next door, brick red, Caffe Roma's brick parapet was gone. Brannigans would be demolished, although looking OK on the outside, it was stuffed inside by serial quakes: walls cracked, floor connections gone, foundations gone. Caffe Roma would survive the quakes & vagrants.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, white, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce E view down Gloucester St in the red zone, national state of emergency. Post 2011 quakes, most bdgs in the pic would be demolished, incl Christchurch Library & Farmers left
10.03.11. NO ENTRY sign. Orange, plastic, road cones, white, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake trashed Brannigans (would be demolished) Cambridge Tce, red zone, national state of emergency
10.03.11. White, plastic, tape cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view across Avon River to Oxford Tce in the CBD red zone, national state of emergency. Brannigans left & Grant Thornton middle would be demolished. Brick red, Caffe Roma would survive the 2010-13 quakes
Cambridge Tce, then Durham St Sth: No access, red zone, fence cordons at crossings, guarded by NZDF & Singapore soldiers. I saw modern bldgs OK in the CBD, high rises too, both sides of Avon River.
Worcester St Bridge checkpoint: Guarded by 1 NZDF soldier, 1 Singapore soldier. CBD steel mesh fence cordon, no access, red zone. Opp red stickered, Harley ghost, 3 orange, Hi-Vis vested workmen wearing yellow hard hats, boarded ground floor windows. Harley ghost would survive the quakes, an eyesore. Why would CERA & Council allow that red stickered, asbestos riddled ghost to stay undemolished on busy Cambridge Tce roadside for many years? 2023. Harley ghost still undemolised!
10.03.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested workmen boarding Feb 22 quake broken, Harley windows, zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce, national state of emergency. Harley window panes were replaced post Sept 4 quake too
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cambridge Tce, zone 1 cordon view of unused punt on Avon River, post Feb 22 quake, to Oxford Tce in the CBD red zone, national state of emergency
Worcester St Bridge / Oxford Tce: Old, brick, steel braced, Our City ghost was more damaged by the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Beside Our City, near the women's suffrage bronze statue, a wooden punt floated on the Avon, unused post Feb 22 Killer Quake. CBD tourism was kaput, as CBD hotels were closed, would be military cordoned for 28 months. Two cranes stood beyond Worcester St Bridge. Christ Church Cathedral's collapsed tower was obscured by leafy trees, Cathedral Sq.
10.03.11. Singapore soldier, Worcester St Bridge cordon, between zone 1 cordon & CBD red zone, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Worcester St Bridge view, zone 1 cordon, up Worcester Blvd to the red zone enclave at the Art Gallery, Civil Defence HQ right, national state of emergency
10.03.11. NZDF soldier, Singapore soldier, Worcester St Bridge, zone 1 cordon at CBD red zone, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow crane truck, Zone 1 cordon view over Worcester St Bridge to the CBD red zone & Cathedral Sq, national state of emergency. Clarendon Tower right & Grant Thornton bldg mid left would be demolished
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow crane truck, Zone 1 cordon view over Worcester St Bridge to the Feb 22 quake damaged dome of Southern Encounter Aquarium / Regent Theatre, Cathedral Sq, in the CBD red zone, national state of emergency. The dome would be removed & lie on the street for months. Regent Theatre would be demolished
10.03.11. Yellow Hi-Vis vested rubbernecker, steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow crane truck, Zone 1 cordon view over Worcester St Bridge towards Sept 4 quake & Feb 22 quake damaged Clarendon Tower, Oxford Tce, CBD red zone, national state of emergency. Clarendon Tower right would be demolished
Worcester St Bridge checkpoint view: In the no access red zone, the red dome of Southern Encounter Aquarium / Regent Theatre ghost, Cathedral Sq, was Feb 22 Killer Quake damaged. Clarendon Tower ghost's white painted, stone facade, Oxford Tce / Cathedral Sq, was damaged in the Sept 4 Darfield Quake & was more damaged, on the parapet, by the Feb 22 Killer Quake. USAR / TF pink graffito, CLEAR was sprayed on Clarendon Tower facade, Oxford Tce. Clear meant no bodies. Regent Theatre & Clarendon Tower would be demolished. White marble, Sir Robert Scott, Antarctic explorer statute lay face-down, toppled on the grass beside Avon River.
10.03.11. Sept 4 quake & Feb 22 quake damaged Our City by Worcester St Bridge, Oxford Tce in the CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. Our City would be mothballed for years. 2021. Refurbishment would begin. Rydges Hotel behind would be mothballed longer
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake toppled Sir Robert Scott statue, Oxford Tce, red zone cordon, national state of emergency. USAR / TF graffiti on Clarendon Tower facade, CLEAR meant no bodies
Worcester Blvd: Glassy Art Gallery doubled as quake CD HQ, in an enclave of the no access red zone cordon. People wandered past, CD workers too. Opp, the glass side of the new Council high rise had stood up well to the Feb 22 Killer Quake. No glass walls on the new Art Gallery nor new Council bldg were broken by the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Both new bldgs had internal damages needing repairs.
10.03.11. Zone 1 cordon view, liquefaction dusty Cambridge Tce, national state of emergency. Harley left would be an abandoned eyesore for the next decade
10.03.11. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view, Sept 4 quake & Feb 22 quake damaged, old, brick bldg below new, quake damaged Christchurch Council bldg.
Below the new Council bldg, brick gables had fallen off an old brick bldg. Hereford St side, I watched 2 orange, Hi-Vis vested abseilers checking beneath roof eaves of the new Council bldg.
Cambridge Tce/ Hereford St: Two cops stood by the door of Central Police, other cops ambled Cambridge Tce, like a beach road, gritty liquefaction sand underfoot, wind blown dust. Central Police was later abandoned, cops would move to a temporary Central Police, St Asaph St / Antigua St. Central Police would be imploded, 31.05.15. 2017. The new Justice & Emergency Services Precinct would open, Durham St Sth / Lichfield St / Tuam St . Cop HQ would transfer there.
10.03.11. Cop & Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view, steel mesh fence cordon & shipping containers bracing a Sept 4 quake & Feb 22 quake damaged, brick bldg below the new, quake damaged Christchurch Council bldg, national state of emergency
The Press reported that cops were reluctant to work in Central Police post Feb 22 Killer Quake, as they feared their high rise could collapse, like CTV multi-storey did. Can't blame them, wary of going into tall bldgs post quakes.
Hereford St Bridge checkpoint: Guarded by 1 Singapore soldier. CBD steel mesh fence cordoned across Hereford St. Cambridge Tce: I snapped 1873 Library Chambers ghost, brick & Oamaru whitestone, damaged by the Feb 22 Killer Quake, brick gable fallen, parapet blue nylon strapped. S cnr, upper brickwork & Oamaru whitestones loose. Library Chambers would be demolished.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel fence & steel mesh fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view, Feb 22 quake damaged, old, brick Library Chambers below Central Police left & Christchurch Council right, national state of emergency. Central Police would be imploded, Library Chambers would be demolished.
10.03.11. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view, Feb 22 quake damaged Library Chambers, below Christchurch Council, national state of emergency. Library Chambers would be demolished. New Christchurch Council behind was quake damaged & would be repaired
10.03.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested abseilers checking back wall, below eaves of new, quake damaged, Christchurch Council bldg, Hereford St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Hereford St Bridge: Snapped Hereford St ghosts in the no access red zone, damaged by the Sept 4 Darfield Quake & Boxing Day Quake, more damaged by the Feb 22 Killer Quake. Surrounding high rises abandoned, many would be demolished.
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view, Feb 22 liquefaction silt, Hereford St Bridge, CBD red zone, national state of emergency. Singapore soldier by cordon fence. Many abandoned Hereford St bldgs in the pic would be demolished
10.03.11. Steel fence & steel mesh fence cordon. Singapore soldier guarding CBD red zone, Hereford St Bridge, national state of emergency. It took 8+ months, post Feb 22 quake, for a Hereford St niche to be opened to the public, when Cashel Mall would be part reopened with shipping container shops. (Restart Cashel Mall). Most Hereford St bldgs in the pic would be demolished
10.03.11. Steel fence & steel mesh fence cordon. Hereford St Bridge view, CBD red zone, national state of emergency. The abandoned bldgs would be demolished
10.03.11. Zone 1 cordon, Cambridge Tce view over Avon River into CBD red zone, Oxford Tce, by Hereford St Bridge, national state of emergency
Cambridge Tce: Trekked beside Avon River beneath shady trees. Looked at a 2007 erected, bronze statue of Henry Nicholas, VC, WW1 hero. Two old guys on wheelchairs, beside the Avon, beneath the trees, looked over the river at Oxford Tce ghost cafes, high rises beyond. They watched 2 orange, Hi-Vis vested, yellow hard hatted, bldg inspectors on Oxford Tce. They chatted to an orange, Hi-Vis vested male cyclist, while a young couple wandered past, looking into the no access red zone. Most of the red zone, CBD ghosts they viewed would be demolished.
10.03.11. Henry Nicholas, VC, WW1 statue, Avon River bank, Cambridge Tce, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Cambridge Tce, zone 1 cordon, rubberneckers viewing Oxford Tce cafes in CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. Abandoned cafes would be demolished & rebuilt as The Terrace. Abandoned Hotel Grand Chancellor right would be demolished
Cashel St, Bridge of Remembrance: Guarded by 1 NZDF soldier peering over the bridge span into Avon River waters. Steel mesh fence cordoned. Brick steps were Feb 22 Killer Quake cracked. Bridge abutments below Memorial Arch were quake damaged. Snapped 4 hard-hatted cops going up the steps into the no access red zone. The Memorial Arch & cordoned steps made it hard for me to see Feb 22 Killer Quake damage in Cashel Mall, damaged in the Boxing Day Quake. Bridge of Remembrance would be restored, 2014-15. Many Cashel Mall bldgs would be demolished.
10.03.11. Plastic, hard hatted cops entering CBD red zone cordon at Cashel St, Bridge of Remembrance, national state of emergency. DTZ behind would be demolished
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF soldier guarding Cashel St Bridge of Remembrance, between zone 1 cordon & CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. DTZ behind would be demolished
ROAD CLOSED. Trekked S to Lichfield St, Durham St Sth, Tuam St, St Asaph St, steel mesh fence cordons by the red zone, no access, guarded by NZDF & Singapore soldiers, an olive troop vehicle beyond a flower bed by Lichfield St cnr. Opp South City carpark next to Warehouse Stationery, St John ambulances were parked in a line awaiting action. Although it was mid Thursday afternoon, few business were open in CBD zone 1 cordon, those that were open did little business, customers scared off. Liquefaction sand, cordon fences everywhere.
10.03.11. Olive NZDF vehicle & St John Ambulance. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Zone 1 cordon, alongside CBD red zone cordon, Lichfield St / Durham St South, national state of emergency
10.03.11. ROAD CLOSED. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Durham St South, zone 1 cordon view down Lichfield St into the CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. It took 6 months for this cordon niche to be opened to the public
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF vehicle, Lichfield St in the CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. It took 6 months for this cordon niche to be opened to the public
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Durham St South, zone 1 cordon view, Singapore & NZDF soldiers at Tuam St, CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. It took 6 months for this cordon niche to be opened to the public
10.03.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Durham St Sth view, Feb 22 quake damaged bldgs in the CBD red zone cordon, Tuam St, national state of emergency. During the Feb 22 quake, 8 red bus passengers were killed by falling masonry near Tuam St / Colombo St cnr
10.03.11. ROAD CLOSED. Orange, plastic, road cones, yellow, plastic tape, orange, plastic, fence cordon. Zone 1 cordon, Durham St South view down Mollett St, national state of emergency. During the Feb 22 quake, 4 pedestrians were killed by falling masonry near Colombo St / Mollett St junction
10.03.11. White, plastic, tape cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged avon bridal, Durham St South, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. AMBULANCE LOADING. St John ambulances, South City mall, Durham St South, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. NZDF soldier & Singapore soldier, Durham St South / St Asaph St, zone 1 cordon / CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. ROAD CLOSED. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Durham St South, zone 1 cordon view down St Asaph St in the CBD red zone cordon, national state of emergency. St John HQ bldg right was badly damage by the Feb 22 quake
Durham St Sth / Tuam St: Guarded by 1 NZDF soldier, 1 Singapore soldier. Steel mesh fence cordon. Old, brick parapets fallen.
Mollett St: 2 storey brick bldg, upper brick cnr walls fallen. Brick rubble on pavement. Distant shipping containers obscured Colombo St side. Four pedestrians were killed there, by falling masonry in the Feb 22 Killer Quake. A cloud of demolition dust swirled beyond the containers, obscuring action in the no access, red zone cordon. Old engineering & more recent Sept 4 Darfield Quake, bldg inspection mistakes were being buried in clouds of demolition dust in the CBD cordon. Christchurch CBD strangled by military cordons.
Six months later, public would still be banned access to the CBD cordoned red zone. Post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, it would be 28 months before red zone cordons were part removed & occupying soldiers departed.
Durham St Sth / St Asaph St: Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon, guarded by 1 NZDF soldier, 1 Singapore soldier checking his cell phone. Soldiers looked bored.
Durham St Sth: Avon Bridal, brick gable fallen, brick rubble in carpark, white, plastic tape cordoned. Brick wall, USAR / TF orange-spray-painted in a square & circle:
24 FEB
TAIWAN
As the Taiwan USAR / TF graffiti gave no time, it was operationally inconsistent with the times given on Queensland USAR / TF graffiti above. So how consistent were overseas USAR / TF teams in their searches of quake smashed bldgs?
A Grand Affair, brick side wall cracked, parapet fallen, steel mesh fence cordoned. Kodak Photo Warehouse, brick side wall cracked, parapet fallen, steel mesh fence cordoned. Across the road, 2 storey, mod, concrete bldg undamaged.
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, brick bldg, Durham St South, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, old brick parapet, Durham St South, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
10.03.11. Mod bldg, undamaged by the Feb 22 quake, Durham St South, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Moorhouse Ave & Montreal St: En route I saw mostly closed, some open businesses in zone 1 cordon. Snapped a couple of quake damaged bldgs, one where a blue digger removed roadside brick rubble, while workmen boarded up the bldg frontage, where the brick wall had fallen, exposing rooms & attic.
10.03.11. Blue digger removing rubble by Feb 22 quake damaged bldg, Montreal St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency. The bldg wall was boarded for years post quake
Wilmer St: Red stickered, old, white, brick bldg, steel mesh fence cordoned. Roof collapsed, due to fallen brick parapet, brick rubble on pavement, bricks fallen onto neighbouring roofs, like Carshine bldg. Saw that quake damage all over Christchurch: old, brick or stone bldgs trashed by quakes & damaging neighbouring bldgs.
Montreal St: Looked into the window of green stickered, Canterbury Ballet. Two inch thick, grey quakemire lay on carpets. Grey mud lay on the liquefaction mounded pavement too. Why was that liquefaction swamped bldg green stickered? Imagine dried shit, spores, muck infesting that bldg for years.
10.03.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, white, plastic tape, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged, brick bldg, Wilmer St, zone 1 cordon, national state of emergency
Trekking back to my car, car sale businesses stagnated, a whiff of sewage in the air. Turned into St Asaph St, trekked past DB Brewery, red & black, high, brick walls, steel mesh fence cordoned, & Christchurch Hospital's tall, concrete chimney, opp. Spooked again, if those bldgs fell in an aftershock I was squashed. DB Brewery would be demolished, 2013, for CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility.
That night, TV news featured a blind, WW2 navy veteran, in his eighties, who'd waited for help in his flat for 2 days post Feb 22 Killer Quake, power off, surviving on fruit & crisps. When he wandered the quake-ruined CBD, with his blind man stick, a cop found him, gave him food & later TV interviewed him in his flat. Cop propaganda, using a blind, old war vet as TV fodder, proudly showing off his war medals, reminiscing. When I did our family shopping, I often saw that navy man wandering Northlands Mall, with his stick & Merivale McDonald's, without his stick.
Several aftershocks that Thursday, incl a M4.5 at 8.07pm (GeoNet) which bounced me in my car, while I waited for Leah doing shopping at Fendalton Mall. We'd got used to 1 000s of aftershocks over the last 6 months. A man seated at an Indian restaurant table on the verandah sipped his chardonnay in the twilight, while 3 ladies in the beauty salon next door didn't budge while the aftershock shook us all. Leah shopped & returned wide-eyed.
*Trekked Hagley Ave, Rolleston Ave, Armagh St, Durham St Nth, Gloucester St, Cambridge Tce, Worcester St Bridge, Durham St Sth, Montreal St, Wilmer St. 135 snaps.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
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