My pleasant, pre-quake walks were now horrible, post-quake treks through liquefactioned ghost lands, often fence cordoned, entry forbidden. Given all the riverside, CONTAMINATED WATER threat signs, Christchurch's river water was polluted by leaked sewage.
I trekked downriver along Avonside Dr from Swanns Rd Bridge, near Avonside Girls High ghost, to Gayhurst Rd Bridge ghost, then returned upriver on the opp bank along Dallington Tce & River Rd. Avonside GH was so damaged by the 22.02.11 KIller Quake, students & staff shared Burnside High School facilities, 2 school shifts, near our home. Traffic congestion increased on Greers Rd, Grahams Rd & Memorial Ave during school times.
As the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake had damaged riverside & swamp suburbs, I'd already seen quake damage by Avon River & Heathcote River. The 22.02.11 Killer Quake made previous riverside & swamp damages worse. It confirmed wherever there was water, like rivers, streams, estuaries, swamps, underground rainwater, streams, springs, there was quake damage.
The latest quakes weren't the first to damage Christchurch. Victorian settlers had experienced quakes too. As they'd build Christchurch on Canterbury Plains swamps, beside Avon River & Heathcote River, it was inevitable future quakes would cause damage too.
Christchurch CBD, riverside quake damages I'd aleady seen: Fitzgerald Ave where the northbound road collapsed by an Avon Loop; Oxford Tce, off Kilmore St, where river banks had slumped & liquefaction & shaking had damaged houses in Avon Loop; Many CBD ghosts & roads in National State of Emergency zones 1, 2, 3, 4 & in the CBD red zone. Saturated underground water around Avon River bends, horseshoes, loops, swamps, was forced above ground by quakes with destructive quakemire.
Although many riverside ghost houses were Council red stickered, some desperate people still lived in their ghost housing, 2 months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake & months before CERA red zoned their residential land.
Avonside Dr / Woodham Rd / Linwood Ave crossing: Repairs in progress to the liquefactioned & burst water pipe & drain damaged crossing. Shingle repairs, no tarseal yet.
28.04.11. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quakes, partly repaired Avonside Dr / Woodham Rd / Linwood Ave crossing, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: Avonside Girls High School ghost, closed, brick wall fallen on excavated pavement. Sewage stinking water leaked across Avonside Dr to Avon River. CONTAMINATED WATER threat signs all along both Avon River banks. Quake cracked road.
28.04.11. Orange, plastic tape, steel / plastic mesh fence cordon. Excavation & quake felled wall, Avonside Girls High, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked Avonside Dr by Avonside Girls High, national state of emergency. Cracks due to lateral spreading
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Sewage polluted Avon River, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
River Rd, opp bank: Environment Canterbury car parked, person took sewage polluted, water sample from river. Orange digger parked on River Rd by Avon River bank.
28.04.11. Environment Canterbury person collecting sewage polluted, Avon River water samples, River Rd, opp Avonside Girls High, national state of emergency
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Avonside Dr view, yellow digger on River Rd, national state of emergency
CONTAMINATED WATER. Red tree feller machines, truck, chipper, log grab, yellow crane on River Rd bank. Fellers had morning tea on the riverbank while feeding bread to ducks.
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Avonside Dr view, red tree feller machines & yellow crane on River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked roadside, Avonside Dr, nr Swanns Rd Bridge, national state of emergency. Cracks due to lateral spreading
Swanns Rd Bridge / Colishaw St: Cracks at road joins. Several ghost houses both sides of Avon River. Example: Fallen brick side wall, blue tarped, brick rubble in garden, blue, plastic, water pipe & raised, concrete manhole on pavement, tilted concrete power pole. Portaloos on roadsides by damaged houses, all along both river banks. Thousands of portaloos all over Christchurch, sewage system: crap. Orange, plastic, road cones in Avon River, like poisoned goldfish, by a concrete, storm water pipe.
28.04.11. Quake damaged houses, Avonside Dr, nr Swanns Rd Bridge, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Swanns Rd Bridge view, orange, plastic, road cones in Avon River, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Retreat Rd fork: Blue portaloo on pavement. Buckled, cracked road. More 22.02.11 Killer Quake damage since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Shingle road works. Council blue & white, Residents Only threat sign on steel mesh fence cordon, had been there since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Broken storm water drain, big sinkhole in road, orange plastic, road coned, steel mesh fence cordoned. CONTAMINATED WATER threat sign. Green, plastic, sewage tank on opp River Rd bank.
28.04.11. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr / Retreat Rd fork, with blue portaloo & residents only sign, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged drain & portaloo, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Avonside Dr view, sewage polluted Avon River & green, plastic, sewage tank on River Rd, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Monkton Pl: Blue portaloo on pavement. Broken manhole raised above road. Thousands of concrete drain manholes were quake raised all over Christchurch. Road slumping all along Avonside Dr. 6 inches to 1 foot deep slumping to Bracken St junction, slumping due to Avon River bank lateral spreading.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, blue portaloo, Avonside Dr / Monkton Pl, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake raised, part repaired, manhole, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked, slumped Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Bracken St junction: Blue portaloo on pavement. Liquefaction silt. Quake damaged curb.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, blue portaloo, Avonside Dr / Bracken St, national state of emergency
22.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged curb, Avonside Dr / Bracken St, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: River bank slumping, due to lateral spreading, 1m deep in places by Avon River bend. Quake damaged houses on river bend. Blue portaloo in garden. Broken concrete drain waterside.
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Avonside Dr view, Feb 22 quake, sewage polluted Avon River & opp bank River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake slumped Avon River bank, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Old man, green, plastic, sewage tank, quake tilted house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Morris St crossing: Blue portaloo on pavement. River bank slumping, about 1m, due to lateral spreading. Road shingle repairs. Roadside CONTAMINATED WATER threat sign, RECOVERING AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE sign.
28.04.11. Quake damaged house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Avon River bank slumping due to lateral spreading, Avonside Dr, nr Morris St, national state of emergency
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Feb 22 quake, Health Warning threat sign, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr, Avon River bank, Council sign, CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE information, headings:
CHRISTCHURCH
EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
RECOVERY AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
PUBLIC HEALTH...
WELFARE CENTRES...
SUPPORT AND COUNSELLING SERVICES...
EMERGENCY FINANCIAL SUPPORT...
ACCOMMODATION...
FUEL / TRANSPORT / ROADS...
WATER...
TOILETS...
RUBBISH...
YOUR PROPERTY...
SCHOOLS...
MISSING PERSON INFORMATION...
HOME REPAIRS...
ANIMALS...
LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH, YOUR FAMILY
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS.
STAY INFORMED AS BEST YOU CAN.
ASK FOR HELP.
Council signs were erected to help citizens long before CERA's top / down interference & red zoning Avon River banks' housing.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Recovering after the Earthquake sign, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Robson Ave junction: Blue portaloo on pavement. Canada Geese riverside. Recent mini stopbank beside Avonside Dr, repaired road & river bank slumping. The stopbank continued beside Avon River till Bowie Pl. I trekked the rough shingle on top, part of the way, as riverside footpath tarseal was deeply quake cracked, buckled, crumpled. Better view too. Little traffic on Avonside Dr, cordoned with orange, plastic, road cones. More pedestrians & joggers.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr / Robson Ave junction & blue portaloo, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked Avon River bank & a view of River Rd, opp bank, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake, Avon River stopbank, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: Passed twisted steel, Medway St Footbridge ghost over the Avon, 04.09.10 Darfield Quake twisted, 22.02.11 Killer Quake worsened. Twisted bridge side, hung off a bridge pier. Concrete block, steel mesh fence cordoned on the river bank.
28.04.11. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake destroyed, Medway St Footbridge over Avon River, between Avonside Dr & River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged housing, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr & orange & red portaloos. Avon River stopbank left, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr & Avon River stopbank, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: Cracked road, puddled, grey quakemire. Broken, mid white line on road shifted different directions by quake. Passed more red stickered ghost houses, long grass in gardens, garden walls cracked, broken fences, house door boarded. Orange & red portaloos, green, plastic, sewage tank on pavement.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr, house & orange portaloo, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Galbraith Ave junction: Curb damaged, shingle road repairs. Fulton Hogan road sweeper truck passed. Cnr house: fallen chimney, yellow tarped roof, overgrown garden, green plastic, sewage tank on pavement.
28.04.11. Sweeper truck, Feb 22 quake damaged Avonside Dr / Galbraith Ave, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, green, plastic, sewage tank by quake damaged house, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: Bend in Avon River. Opp bank, orange water pump on Dallington Tce, steel mesh fence cordoned, had been pumping since 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Quake tilted, concrete drain on riverbank, steel mesh fence cordoned.
28.04.11. Avon River stopbank view, Feb 22 quake cracked riverbank & footpath, national state of emergency. River Rd / Dallington Tce beyond
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake, Avon River stopbank & quake damaged Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Avonside Dr view, Avon River bend & River Rd / Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Avonside Dr view, Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake, orange pump by Avon River, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged manhole, Avon River bend, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake tilted, 2 storey house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked, Avon River footpath, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency. Cracks due to river bank lateral spreading
28.04.11. Avon River stopbank view, Feb 22 quake damaged house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: More red stickered, ghost houses by stopbank, some tilted at odd angles, had to look closely to see quake tilting / quake warping / quake bending of houses. Damage examples: 2 storey house, fallen brick, porch wall, front door boarded, window plastic taped, white plastic tape cordoned. 1 storey house: fallen chimney, brick rubble on roof, boarded glass window, yellow & red stickered front door! Neighbouring wooden garden fence & brick garden wall, red spray-painted, Response Team graffitied:
RT 10 RT 10
C 25/2 NC
25/2
Avonside Dr / Robson Ave junction: Red portaloo by concrete block supported power pole. Riverside, 3 inspectors wearing orange, Hi-Vis vests toted clipboards by the deeply cracked & buckled tarseal footpath.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Avon River stopbank view, red portaloo & concrete block supported power pole, Avonside Dr / Robson Ave, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, Hi-Vis vested engineers, Feb 22 quake damaged footpath by Avon River, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Avon River stopbank & steel mesh fence cordon, Avonside Dr / Robson Ave, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr: Big concrete drain ghost, 04.09.10 Darfield Quake tilted, 22.02.11 Killer Quake shifted about 1m above ground. The concrete drain would be demolished. Ghost houses nearby. Orange pump in middle of road, orange, plastic, road coned, steel mesh fence cordoned.
28.04.11. Quake tilted, 2 storey house, quake damaged Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake, orange pump in middle of Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Sept 4 quake tilted, concrete drain, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Morris St junction: Red portaloo on pavement. Steel mesh fence cordoned drain in middle of Avonside Dr, red plastic sewage pipe pumped sludge into drain, like that since the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Sewage stink by pipes. Council would take years to repair the broken sewage system. More red stickered, ghost houses: cracked, buckled, concrete driveways, broken garden walls, overgrown gardens.
28.04.11. Sept 4, Feb 22 quake damaged road & house, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Sept 4, Feb 22 quakes, red portaloo, green, plastic, sewage tank, road & sewage damage, Avonside Dr / Morris St junction, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr / Bowie Pl junction: Another tilted roadside / riverside, concrete drain. Sewage stink. Shingle heap roadside. Shingle repairs to road. Creamy, brown pollution trickled into Avon River by broken, storm water pipe, ducks swimming by. Stopbank ended beyond Bowie Pl. Pallet of filled sandbags on opp pavement. WORKS END sign on sandbags. Female jogger passed.
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged road, drain & stopbank, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, broken drain, effluent in Avon River, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl, national state of emergency. Dallington Tce opp bank
28.04.11. WORKS END. Feb 22 quake damaged road, tilted house, sandbags, jogger, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
Bowie Pl: Ghost land. Yellow stickered, 8 blocks of window boarded, Council ghost flats, 4 flats / block, 32 abandoned flats. Heavily liquefactioned by 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, silt volcanoes everywhere. Still yellow stickered, abandoned post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Footprints in grey quakemire. Fallen Royal Gala apples on silt volcano by flat 32. Picked an unblemished apple for lunch, sour.
Sixteen months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, Bowie Pl, Council ghost flats would still be yellow stickered, windows boarded, closed. One concrete brick, zig-zag cracked wall. Flats looked inhabitable. A waste!
28.04.11. Sept 4 quake & Feb 22 quake liquefactioned flats, Bowie Pl, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, crooked house, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl, national state of emergency
28.04.11. End of Avon River stopbank, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl, national state of emergency
Avonside Dr, near Gayhurst Rd Bridge: Another Avon River bend, more damaged houses. Group booze up on riverbank. Poplar & oak autumn leaves on riverside, quake cracked footpath to Gayhurst Rd Bridge. Orange, Hi-Vis vested workman installed a new, steel chimney on an Avonside Dr house. A waste, as CERA would soon red zone the area.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, orange, Hi-Vis vested workman installing new chimney, Avonside Dr, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged footpath, Avon River, nr Gayhurst Rd Bridge, national state of emergency
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Feb 22 quake, Avonside Dr, nr Gayhurst Rd Bridge, national state of emergency
Gloucester St near Gayhurst Rd Bridge: Fish n Chips shop: 2nd storey, fallen exterior wall panels. Black, spray-painted graffiti on ground floor, boarded, shop window. Riverside tarseal footpath cracked. Road damage near Gloucester St / Gayhurst Rd Bridge abutment join. I crossed quake broken, Gayhurst Rd Bridge from Avonside Dr to Dallington Tce.
28.04.11. Quake damaged, Fish n Chips shop, Gloucester St, nr Gayhurst Rd Bridge, national state of emergency
Gayhurst Rd Bridge / Dallington Tce: Quake damaged concrete abutment at road join: huge concrete chunks lying near abutment, skewed steel handrail on bridge, orange, plastic, road cone cordoned. 30 km/h speed limit sign.
28.04.11. Gayhurst Rd Bridge upriver view, autumn trees by sewage polluted Avon River, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake damaged, Gayhurst Rd Bridge abutment join, Gayhurst Rd / Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
Dallington Tce: 04.09.10 Darfield Quake damaged, 22.02.11 Killer Quake damaged. Potholed road, shingle road repairs. Mini stopbank at river bend, white plastic sandbags on part of the stopbank. Ghost houses, fallen concrete garden wall, cracked brick garden wall, cracked tarseal driveway. 1 house demolition site, empty. Blue portaloo on pavement. Green, plastic sewage tank by back gate of 04.09.10 Darfield Quake trashed St Paul's School.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake toppled garden wall, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Quake damaged driveway, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Quake damaged house & house demolition site, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
Dallington Tce: Three orange, Hi-Vis vested workmen chatted by a yellow digger at a roadside excavation & shingle road works. Blonde female engineer arrived, yellow, Hi- Vis vested. She'd followed me along Avonside Dr in her Council ute, while supervising road workmen.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, green, plastic, sewage tank & blue portaloo, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, roadside excavation, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Sept 4 quake, steel mesh fence cordoned, road excavation & yellow roadside pump, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake road repairs & blue portaloo, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
Dallington Tce: Post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & Boxing Day Quake: Yellow riverside pump still pumped sludge into pipes, steel mesh fence cordoned. Quakemired footpath, autumn leaves. River bend slumping was filled with soil, opp 04.09.10 quake tilted, concrete drain ghost on Avonside Dr bank. Quakemire on river bend was there for months since the 04.09.10 quake. Portaloos & green, plastic, sewage tank on footpath.
Later low-lying Dallington Tce near Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be red zoned by CERA, but higher ground on Dallington Tce would be green zoned by CERA. That pattern would repeat along riverbanks: low-lying liquefactioned land, red zoned, higher land, less liquefactioned, green zoned by CERA. Low-lying, Avon River banks slumped more in quakes, so most housing near Avon River banks would be red zoned by CERA, from city to sea.
Thus most Avonside Dr & River Rd ghost housing & some Dallington Tce ghost housing would be red zoned by CERA. There were more riverside roads, like Locksley Ave & New Brighton Rd by Avon River. Their housing too would be largely red zoned by CERA. Closer to the Pacific, by Avon / Heathcote Estuary, there were more roads in Bexley & Southshore due for red zoning by CERA. I would trek them all. About 7 500 houses along riverbanks & on the Port Hills would be red zoned by CERA, due for housing demolitions. A massive land-grab by NZ National govt / CERA, taking citizens' land, then dealing with insurers for payouts after red zoned citizens had ceded their insurance policies to the Crown for govt payouts.
28.04.11. Dallington Tce view, sewage polluted Avon River & Sept 4 quake damaged, concrete drain on Avonside Dr bank, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged house, Dallington Tce, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Dallington Tce view, Avonside Dr stopbank & quake damaged, double storey house, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, Dallington Tce view, sewage polluted Avon River, quake crooked, concrete drain & Avonside Dr stopbank, national state of emergency
Dallington Tce / River Rd junction at river bend: Passed 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, orange, roadside pump, pumping polluted water into Avon River. Ubiquitous CONTAMINATED WATER threat signs on riverbank. Gulls on footbridge at river bend & concrete storm water drains.
28.04.11. CONTAMINATED WATER. Feb 22 quake, footbridge by Avon River bend, Dallington Tce / River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, River Rd view, sewage polluted Avon River bend, national state of emergency. Dallington Tce beyond, Avonside Dr right
River Rd: Ghost houses: broken, cracked, house walls, cracked garden walls, cracked driveways, some overgrown gardens. Blue portaloos on pavement. Blue, plastic, water pipe undulated over cracked, crumpled pavement. Like Avonside Dr, some River Rd mature trees were red, plastic, DANGER taped, ready for chopping.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake tilted house, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake, River Rd view, autumn trees by sewage polluted Avon River, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Blue portaloo, Feb 22 quake damaged house, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Crooked house, Feb 22 quake damaged, River Rd, national state of emergency
River Rd / Medway St junction: Back at quake twisted, steel footbridge over Avon River. SLOW DOWN! 10 NO RUBBERNECKERS threat sign on cnr power pole above grey quakemire. Homemade road signs had sprouted all over Christchurch, citizens warning road users of dangers, or irritations. Riverbank slumping due to lateral spreading.
28.04.11. SLOW DOWN! 10 NO RUBBERNECKERS. Feb 22 quake, River Rd / Medway St junction, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake destroyed, steel Medway St Footbridge over Avon River, between River Rd & Avonside Dr, national state of emergency. The bridge was later removed for storage at Ferrymead Heritage Park
River Rd / North Avon Rd junction sign: NO THROUGH
ROUTE ACCESS
TO PROPERTIES
ONLY
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, semi detached houses, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. River Rd / North Avon Rd junction, residents only sign, national state of emergency
River Rd / Lois Pl junction: 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & 22.02.11 Killer Quake ghost houses, grey quakemired. Tilted power pole. Sewage tanker pumped sludge in a garden. Riverside, tilted concrete drain more damaged by 22.02.11 quake, new cracks. Metre wide, riverbank crack by drain. Sewage stink by drain outlet into Avon River.
28.04.11. Sept 4 & Feb 22 quake damaged, concrete drain, River Rd / Lois Pl junction, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake tilted power pole & quake damaged house, River Rd / Lois Pl junction, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged house, River Rd / Lois Pl junction, national state of emergency
River Rd near Swanns Rd Bridge: Huge riverside slumping, some road cracks 2m wide. Buckled pavement & concrete curb. Concrete curb arch formed by 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Orange, plastic, road cone cordoned. Several riverside, red stickered, ghost houses: cracked garden walls, tilted gate posts, tilted concrete steps before a front door. Blue, plastic, water pipe along pavement. As the quakes had destroyed so much underground infrastructure, Council laid blue, plastic, water pipes along pavements for inhabitants to get fresh water. That was done before CERA contaminated Council functioning & red zoned some residential areas.
28.04.11. Blue, plastic, water pipe to a Feb 22 quake damaged, 2 storey house, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Post Feb 22 quake, blue, plastic, water pipe, River Rd pavement, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Buckled concrete curb, formed by Feb 22 quake, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Red stickered, Feb 22 quake damaged house, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged, 2 storey house, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake cracked River Rd & Avon River bank slumping, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake damaged house, River Rd, nr Swanns Rd Bridge, national state of emergency
After trekking past so many ghost houses, I was spooked. Pre-quakes, 8 months before, riversides were humming with life. In 2 years time, most of the houses would be gone, red zoned, demolished by CERA.
Avonside Dr: Workmen felled a poplar on River Rd. One feller up the tree, sawed & slinged branches; yellow crane hoisted chained branches; supervisor on road; workman sawed logs; red grabber machine fed branches into red chipper; red, wood-chip truck behind.
Over 8 months, after several major quakes & 1 000s of aftershocks, the poplar didn't look dangerous to me. Old man on a sunny bench enjoyed the show too.
28.04.11. Feb 22 quake tilted, power poles & yellow, tree feller crane, River Rd, national state of emergency
28.04.11. Avonside Dr view, poplar fell, River Rd, national state of emergency
01.05.11. The National State of Emergency was lifted. CERA would do Christchurch recovery work. About time, as it was nearly 8 months post 04.09.10 quake & over 2 months post 22.02.11 quake.
*Trekked Avonside Dr, Bowie Pl, Gayhurst Rd Bridge, Dallington Tce, River Rd. 198 snaps.
Coda:
After doing CERA Landcheck searches, I would find all the little roads & housing in the two Avon River horseshoe bends I'd trekked were mostly red zoned. Bigger roads like Avonside Dr, Retreat Rd, River Rd, Gayhurst Rd, Dallington Tce were a mix of orange, red & green zoning, but still mainly red zoned.
Thus a mass exodus & mass housing demolitions in Avon River horseshoe bends would happen. Disturbing was NZ National govt's land-grab by CERA forced offers for red zoned, riverside land: Accept our offer & go, or your water, sewage, rubbish, electricity & road services will be cut off! (Google: The Press / Stuff Co April 07 2012: Red Zoners in dire straits - families). The vague threat by CERA boss Sutton to cut off services would later be denied by CERA.
Landcheck website neatly listed all red zone properties: An open invitation for looters to help themselves. Later CERA would absorb the Landcheck website into its own website, obstructing thieves. But looting, arson, vagrancy, tagging would continue for CERA acquired, red zone housing, before final demolitions.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
