16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, yellow digger demolishes a house, Carlton Mill Rd / Bealey Ave
Carlton Mill Rd: I snapped a yellow-digger demolishing an old house, Bealey Ave corner. The yellow-digger crunched & heaped wooden debris. A workman wearing a mask hosed water on the debris, laying dust. A neighbour skittered around the site, worried about dust & debris polluting his house. He didn't stay long, neither did I, wary of asbestos. An erect brick-chimney atop rubble remained, framed by wintry, leafless trees.
16.07.11. BEWARE UNEVEN SURFACE. Post June 13 quake, Avon River footbridge, Christchurch Botanic Gdns carpark
I parked my car in Botanic Gardens carpark & trekked through Botanic Gardens to Hagley Hostel, Riccarton Ave: Near the carpark, a digger stood by empty Christchurch Model Yacht Club pond. By Avon River footbridge, a threat-sign:
BEWARE
UNEVEN
SURFACE.
By the rose-garden, a hot-house, Cuningham House, was white-plastic-barrier-taped & steel-fence-cordoned in front of the concrete-balcony. The balcony was cracked, unstable, yellow-stickered. Nearby, the World Peace Bell was red-plastic-barrier-tape-cordoned. Across Avon River, the Bandsmen's Memorial was steel-mesh-fence-cordoned.
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, closed Cuningham House hot house, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Bench plaque, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, danger taped, World Peace Bell, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, steel mesh fence cordoned Bandsmen's Memorial, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
Botanic Gardens: By a wooden-fence & obscuring tree, I snapped a yellow-digger at Hagley Hostel demolition-site, loading scrap-metal into a dump-truck. Cursive Words DECONSTRUCTION ARTIST were painted on the back of the yellow-digger-cab. The yellow-digger raised & dropped several bits of metal, thus loosening the concrete. Ground-thumpings felt like aftershocks!
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Botanic Gdns view of a yellow digger loading Hagley Hostel demolition metal into a truck by Christchurch Women's Hospital
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Hagley Hostel, yellow digger, Christchurch Hospital
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, fire engine, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, 2 yellow diggers, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital
Botanic Gardens: By Avon River side, under oak trees I trekked round the back of Christchurch Hospital, for a better view of Hagley Hostel demolition-site. Back of Christchurch Women's Hospital, I snapped a pile of demolition-rubble, two yellow-diggers & a fire- engine on top. Two workmen in yellow Hi-Vis vests hovered, scowling at me, too close to their steel-mesh-fence-cordon! I couldn't approach Riccarton Ave side of the demolition-site, as shipping-containers blocked my way by Women's Hospital.
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, back view, Christchurch Women's Hospital & Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Riverside entrance, Christchurch Hospital
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Avon River bank excavation & Botanic Gdns steel mesh fence cordon. Christchurch Arts Centre & YMCA beyond trees
16.07.11. White / orange, plastic bollard, orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Post June 13 quake, yellow, electricity generator, Christchurch Hospital carpark by Avon River
16.07.11. White / orange, plastic bollard, steel mesh fence cordon. Feb 22 quake & June 13 quake closed Antigua St Footbridge over Avon River, by Antigua Boat Sheds, near Christchurch Hospital
Botanic Gardens: Continuing trekking round Christchurch Hospital, I snapped Avon River scenes by the hospital RIVERSIDE entrance. Across the river through wintry trees I saw multi-storey YMCA & Christchurch Arts Centre ghost. On the opposite riverbank excavations were near the water. Higher up the bank, a steel-mesh-fence-cordon in Botanic Gardens.
Hospital Bridge over Avon River: I Coolpixed a yellow electricity-generator in the hospital carpark, behind a combo-cordon: white / orange plastic-bollards, orange-plastic-road-cones, steel-mesh-fence.
Antigua St Footbridge over Avon River to Antigua Boat Sheds: closed since the 22 February 2011 Quake, combo-cordoned by white / orange plastic-bollards & a steel-mesh-fence.
16.07.11. KEEP CALM and CARRY ON. Post Feb 22 quake tea towells, Christchurch Hospital bookshop, Riccarton Ave
Hospital bookshop-window: I snapped tea-towells sold for raising 22 February 2011 Quake funds. A red-towell's WW11 slogan, white lettering:
KEEP
CALM
and
CARRY
ON
White tea-towell's orange Edmonds Flour can's slogan:
CHRISTCHURCH
SURE TO RISE
A pic of Christ Church Cathedral on the can, sun's rays behind the Cathedral.
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, 8 green, plastic sewage tanks, full of crap, Christchurch Hospital main entrance, Riccarton Ave
Ricccarton Ave: In the front carpark near Christchurch Hospital main entrance, eight green, plastic, sewage tanks held hospital quake crap. Old lady with walking stick hobbled past, put coins in a pay carpark machine.
16.07.11. DANGER KEEP OUT. Post June 13 quake, red, plastic, tape cordoned, Nurses Memorial Chapel, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
I passed the Nurses Memorial Chapel: DANGER KEEP OUT red-plastic-barrier-tape-cordoned. At Christchurch Women's Hospital front entrance, I snapped a yellow-digger bashing the remains of Hagley Hostel's steel-framed multi-storey, chewing concrete-chunks from the frame in russet dust- clouds. An orange Hi-Vis jacketed workman on a red-cherry-picker hosed dust & debris, while the yellow-high-reach-digger grabbed, pulled & bashed. Before the demolition-site, shipping-containers were joined end-to-end forming a pedestrian-tunnel with a sign: WALK THROUGH. I didn't.
16.07.11. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Shipping container WALK THROUGH. Post June 13 quake, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11 Post June 13 quake, Maori carving, Christchurch Women's Hospital entrance & view of Hagley Hostel demolition site, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, 2 yellow diggers & water hosing from a red cherry picker, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, 2 yellow diggers, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, yellow digger demolishing a Hagley Hostel metal frame & concrete wall, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
I crossed Riccarton Ave snapping Hagley Hostel front-facade, which was left standing, supported by rubble while the rest of the building was demolished. Post-quakes, Christchurch Hospital parking moved to South Hagley Park near sports-fields.
16.07.11 Post June 13 quake, Riccarton Ave view, Hagley Hostel demolition site & Christchurch Women's Hospital
16.07.11. KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence, white / orange, plastic bollard cordon. Green portaloo. Post June 13 quake, Hagley Hostel demolition site, Christchurch Hospital, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Christchurch Hospital main entrance, Riccarton Ave
16.07.11. Post quakes, temp bus exchange, Hagley Ave, Christchurch. Another temp bus exchange was on Bealey Ave
I crossed South Hagley Park cricket-field, snapping a post-quake temporary-bus-exchange on Hagley Ave. I fetched Luke from there when he caught late-night buses to the exchange. While I late-night drove home to Burnside from the temporary-bus-exchange, via Montreal St, the CBD was gone: no lights, no high-rises seen, a black-hole!
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Botanic Gdns early daffodils. Christchurch Women's Hospital behind
16.07.11. Daffodils. Post June 13 quake, Christchurch Botanic Gdns view, Hagley Hostel demolition by 3 yellow diggers
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, white daffodils & white lily of the valley flowers, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, The Wrestlers, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, daffodils, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, Christchurch Botanic Gdns workman by Bandsmen's Memorial
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, pruned rose garden, by quake closed Cuningham House, hot house, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, closed, yellow stickered, Townend House, hot house, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
Returning to Botanic Gardens carpark: I trekked beneath oaks again by Avon River bank & saw yellow daffodils & white lily of the valley blooms, backdropped by leafless oaks & Hagley Hostel demolition. By the brick-red Wrestlers sculpture, Asian tourists toting cameras trekked too.
At the back of closed Cuningham House was a closed hot-house, Townend House, yellow-stickered 23.06.11:
"Damage to entry area of Cunningham [sic] House, resulting in inadequate egress for public. Restrictions on use during ongoing earthquakes..."
At the back of the carpark, an orange-digger excavated the pond by Christchurch Model Yacht Club. The liquefactioned pond would be drained & repaired with a new clay-base. On the back-wall of the Model Yacht Club: caused by loosened mortar, a diagonal-crack with L-shaped steps rising from ground to eaves.
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, cracked, closed Model Yacht Club, Hagley Park
16.07.11. Post June 13 quake, orange digger & excavation of quake damaged pond, Model Yacht Club, Hagley Park
Driving past Bealey Ave / Carlton Mill Rd again, the house demolition-site was quiet, the chimney gone.
*Trekked Carlton Mill Rd, Christchurch Botanic Gdns, Riccarton Ave, Hagley Ave. 96 snaps
Coda:
20.10.11.Ten months post 22 February 2011 Quake, when citizens were still banned from the CBD red-zone-cordon, in late October 2011, CERA would abandon the two temporary-bus-exchanges, Bealey Ave & Hagley Ave. CERA then opened a "new," temporary-bus- exchange, Lichfield St.
Simultaneously, CERA touted CBD red-zone bus-tours from Cranmer Sq, during weekends, from 5 November to late December. Christchurch citizens, after a year of quakes & aftershocks, had to pay for their bus-tours in CERA's sanitized-CBD. Never mind celebrities who'd had conducted-tours in the cordoned-CBD months before. Tasman & Nelson district councillors would have a conducted-tour, gawping in the CBD-red- zone. (The Press 20.10.11). Excuse: it would help them sort out their quake-responses!
Sept 2012. The new temporary Bus Exchange between Tuam St & Lichfield St would operate. CERA's Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) would Blueprint & build the permanent Bus Interchange on the old Council building-site between Lichfield St & Tuam St, the main entrance: Lichfield St / Colombo St.
2019. Colombo St: Hoyts EntX would open, opposite the new Bus Interchange.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
Great shots. Minor correction - the "Sure to Rise" image isn't of a beer can, it's of a tin of Edmonds flour. Edmonds was based in Christchurch; the original site is now Edmonds Gardens on Ferry Road near Ensors. I wouldn't want my beer to rise, once it's down I want it to stay there :)
ReplyDeleteTa blahblahblah. Input appreciated, my migrant slip showing. I drive that way most workday mornings. Go well.
ReplyDelete