Post Feb 22 Killer Quake, Christchurch's red zone CBD was occupied by CERA, strangled by steel mesh fence cordons, guarded by cops & NZDF soldiers at variable checkpoints. So far, for more than 9 months, CBD bldgs stood abandoned, awaiting demolitions. Ghosts.
Post Feb 22 Killer Quake, National State of Emergency ended, CERA continued choking the CBD red zone. Celebrities; clerics; local & foreign councillors; cops; CERA officials; insurance bosses & contractors were allowed into the CBD. Citizens banned.
Sat 26.11.11. CERA opened Cathedral Sq to the public briefly between demolitions. I snapped pics of Christ Church Cathedral ghost that sunny afternoon. Christ Church Cathedral was deconsecrated weeks before for deconstruction / demolition. (Wishful thinking by Anglicans, as Heritage hailers would block demolition for years by court actions.)
St Asaph St: Parked my car, then snapped red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned McKenzie Willis demolition site, where I'd snapped death-trap, brick bldgs, part demolished, post Feb 22 Killer Quake.
26.11.11. Post quakes, CBD red zone, demolition site, St Asaph St
St Asaph St: Trekked an alley & snapped red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, High St / Tuam St. Snapped Holiday Inn ghost & Hotel Grand Chancellor ghost. Both high-rises would be demolished.
Steel mesh fence cordon, threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
26.11.11. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St, CBD red zone, alley view, demolition site, Tuam St / High St. Alice in Videoland (old PO) left
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St, alley view, CBD red zone, tourist bus on Tuam St, going towards Manchester St. Holiday Inn & Hotel Grand Chancellor left, would be demolished. Alice in Videoland (old PO) right
26.11.11. St Asaph St view, CBD, red zone high rises: Westpac, Holiday Inn, Hotel Grand Chancellor would be demolished
St Asaph St / Manchester St: Steel mesh fence cordoned, deserted. A camping shop was OPEN. North along Manchester St ghosts, some part- demolished, awaited full demolitions. One bldg facade was supported by stacked shipping containers.
Checkpoint, steel mesh fence cordons signs:
NO PUBLIC
PAST THIS
POINT!
ACCESS POINT
HOURS OF OPERATION
6 AM TO 7 PM DAILY
OUTSIDE OF THIS TIME USE
MANCHESTER ST / CAMBRIDGE TCE
ACCESS POINT
Another sign was identical, except for the access point reading: MADRAS ST / KILMORE ST. Imagine all the heavy trucks roaming, messing CBD roads, while looking for access points.
Tuam St: Red zone CBD, ghost mural, NZ flag, with sign:
LET'S BUILD OUR
NEW CITY TOGETHER
KIA KAHA
CERA's quake tourist bus drove past in the red zone. During weekend & twilight bus tours, quake tourist buses would damage trashed roads & ghosts. Never mind damage done to road infrastructure by heavy, steel-track diggers & cranes. All over Christchurch scraped & scarred roads could be seen, where diggers & cranes damaged roads & pavements.
Dusty ghosts in the CBD red zone were abandoned. Trouble for future generations: CERA wanted to rebuild Christchurch CBD on swampland above Christchurch Fault. By Oct 2013 CERA would have made its core CBD speed limit 30km/h.
26.11.11. Manchester St / St Asaph St crossing, CBD red zone cordon view, southwards to Port Hills
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St, CBD red zone, cordon view, quake trashed bldg & demolition site
26.11.11. Manchester St, CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordon view, Sept 4 quake, demolition site / carpark & red zone, Tuam St / High St. Alice in Videoland (old PO) left. The middle bldgs along High St would be demolished
26.11.11. Post quakes demolition sites, N along Manchester St, CBD red zone. Seen from St Asaph St. Foreground bldgs & Holiday Inn behind would be demolished. Left street side high rise would survive the quakes as The Muse Art Hotel
26.11.11. Orange, plastic, road cones. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Asaph St view, camping shop open sign, Manchester St. CBD red zone. NZDF checkpoint huts & dead bldgs beyond fence cordon
Colombo St: Busy with shoppers going to recently opened Restart Cashel Mall. I directed a lost backpacker, waving a map, to the new, temporary, Bus Exchange. CERA would leave the red zone CBD in ruins & demolition sites for years. Shocking for thrill-seeking tourists, awful for citizens. Trekked down Colombo St towards Cashel St, demolition sites both sides of the road, past the lethal section, near Mollett St, where 16 people were killed by falling masonry, Feb 22 Killer Quake.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St, red zone view, demolition cranes & serial quake trashed bldgs. Westpac middle, awaiting demolition
Colombo St / Restart Cashel Mall: A Ryan Security man, sporting an olive green shirt, obstructed foot traffic at the newly opened Walkway entrance to Christ Church Cathedral. He insisted every pedestrian arriving along Colombo St south must make a little detour to the N side of his cordon entrance to walk to Christ Church Cathedral. By The Crossing, the new Walkway entrance to Colombo St was too small for the volume of foot traffic. CERA choking again. The security man obeyed CERA's orders, CERA creating jobsworths, ordering citizens around.
26.11.11. The Crossing view from CBD red zone: S along post quakes Colombo St
Walkway rules, CERA fence sign also choked the Walkway, blocking eastwards view along red zoned Cashel St:
CERA
Canterbury Earthquake
Recovery Authority
Cathedral Square walkway
Weekends: 9am - 8pm until Sunday 11 December
It is your decision to enter this area.
Read this first:
1. This space is still dangerous.
2. If there is an earthquake or other event
you may be seriously injured or may not survive.
3. This is CERA space, not public space. There are conditions you must meet:
*maximum 300 visitors at any one time
*stay within the fences
*maximum visit duration 50 minutes - the walkway is cleared on the hour
*no pets (guide dogs permitted)
*carry personnel ID on your body, not in a bag
*wear sturdy shoes
*carry a charged cell phone or tell someone where you are going.
If there is an earthquake or other significant event
Drop Cover Hold
and follow the instructions of security personnel.
An emergency evacuation will be signalled by the constant sound of
horns or sirens. Follow the instructions of security personnel.
Feeling overwhelmed or distressed?
Contact Quake Support and Counselling Line on...
CERA didn't elaborate on "other event" nor where sightseers should "Drop Cover Hold" in another quake. My experience of big quakes was that people froze on the spot, without "Drop Cover Hold." Big quakes actually stopped or retarded human movement, due to fearsome shaking & jolting. People reacted differently to quakes: most froze, some moved with extreme difficulty.
CERA's fear-mongering: Wear closed shoes. Carry ID. Carry cell phone... So what? Jandals were abundantly worn on the walkway, myself included.
"CERA space" signified CERA's patronising citizens who owned CBD properties. CERA licked it's paws, contemplating CBD properties it would "take" for pet projects.
26.11.11. CERA walkway rules sign, CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, obscuring E view, closed Cashel St
26.11.11. Orange digger & crane. The Crossing E view, CBD red zone Cashel St. Westpac right awaited demolition
26.11.11. Colombo St / Cashel St, CBD red zone. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished
CERA was there by citizen sufferance & NZ National govt decree. CERA's unelected bosses forgot CERA was formed to serve Christchurch citizens & their RECOVERY.
26.11.11. Colombo St, CBD red zone, closed shops, between Cashel St / Hereford St. USAR / TF graffiti on glass door. Clear meant no bodies. The bldg would be demolished, enabling ANZ Centre
26.11.11. Colombo St, red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned walkway, S view. Bldgs on right awaited demolition, enabling ANZ Centre
26.11.11. Boarded, closed, McDonald's, CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned walkway, Colombo St. McDonald's would be demolished, enabling BNZ Centre
26.11.11. Colombo St, CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned walkway, N view
CERA hadn't developed Christchurch during pre quake years. Christchurch citizens did. So far, CERA had just demolished trashed bldgs. CERA had yet to prove its ability to rebuild Christchurch.
A year later, Oct 2012, CERA would still occupy the red zone CBD, still demolishing bldgs, still banning citizens. CERA had made an expensive Christchurch Central Development Unit, CCDU Blueprint, with CBD rebuild still stalled. CERA wouldn't make a rebuild Blueprint for suburbs.
Mar 2013. Still no rebuild in the red zone CBD, citizens still banned. CERA's excuse: It was still buying CBD land for the rebuild.
Nov 2013. Ditto.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, closed, red zone Timezone, CBD red zone, Colombo St. Timezone would be demolished, enabling BNZ Centre
26.11.11. Quake closed, red zone KFC, to be demolished, Colombo St, enabling ANZ Centre
26.11.11. Quake closed, red zone shops, cnr Milano bldg to be demolished, Colombo St / High St
Colombo St: Trekked red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned Colombo St to Cathedral Sq, past dusty ghost shops, ubiquitous USAR / TF graffiti on KFC, McDonald's, Burger King windows... Ghosts on that stretch of Colombo St, between Restart Cashel Mall & Hereford St, would be demolished, for BNZ Centre, W side of Colombo St & ANZ Centre, E side of Colombo St.
Nine months post Feb 22 Killer Quake, rotten food reek still polluted the air.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, boarded, closed Burger King, CBD red zone, Colombo St. Burger King would be demolished, enabling BNZ Centre
26.11.11. Quake closed, steel mesh fence cordoned, red zone, 24 Hours Dairy, Colombo St, would be demolished, enabling BNZ Centre
Colombo St / Hereford St crossing: Desolate demolition sites, behind red zone, steel mesh fence cordons. Orange digger parked on a demolition site, gob gaping.
26.11.11. Orange digger. Quake demolition site, Colombo St / Hereford St, CBD red zone
26.11.11. Colombo St W view, CBD red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned Hereford St. Abandoned Central Police behind left. Ibis Hotel being restored right. Central Police would be imploded 31.05.15
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St, E view, CBD red zone, Hereford St
Viewed High St, snapping red zone Hotel Grand Chancellor ghost being demolished. Holiday Inn ghost & Westpac ghost awaited demolition.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Flour Power sculpture right. Colombo St / Hereford St crossing, view, CBD red zone High St. Demolition site on left cnr. Hotel Grand Chancellor left, being demolished. Holiday Inn middle, Westpac right, to be demolished
26.11.11. CBD red zone, Colombo St / Hereford St / High St crossing view, Hotel Grand Chancellor demolition middle behind. Flour Power sculpture right
26.11.11. CBD red zone, High St view, Hotel Grand Chancellor left, being demolished & Holiday Inn middle, awaiting demolition. Flour Power sculpture right
Cathedral Sq: Red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, both sides of citizens, turned W into the middle of Cathedral Sq, allowing citizens to gawp, grieve, snap. CERA's Demolition HQ, porta-cabin offices, portaloos & a NZDF checkpoint hut stood behind a red zone, steel mesh fence cordon by Starbucks & old, Post Office. 1995. When we'd arrived in Christchurch, we'd used the old PO as our post restante address. Telecom Exchange was behind. Surrounding red zone, CBD ghosts awaited demolitions.
26.11.11. Red stickered, red zoned, closed BNZ, to be demolished, Colombo St / Hereford St. USAR / TF graffiti on door & wall. Clear meant no bodies
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. CBD red zone, BNZ, to be demolished, Cathedral Sq / Colombo St
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, CBD red zone, boarded ANZ bldg, Colombo St / Cathedral Sq. ANZ would be demolished
Cathedral Sq: Southern Encounters, next to old Regent Theatre, gone, both demolished. Grant Thornton ghost opp, awaited demolition. Old bldg by Chancery Ln , gone, demolished.
N towards Victoria Sq, behind a red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, beside Colombo St north, a yellow digger worked on top of a pile of rubble, demolition in progress. N loomed ghosts: MFL, Price Waterhouse Cooper high-rises, awaiting demolition. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Ghosts: Camelot Hotel loomed over Warners Hotel & The Press demolition sites. Camelot Hotel would be demolished for Central Library / Turanga rebuild.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned, NZDF checkpoint hut & blue portaloos, CBD red zone, Cathedral Sq. Old Post Office & Telecom Exchange left. Southern Encounters demolition site beyond. Clarendon Tower high rise behind awaited demolition
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. CERA Demolition HQ offices before abandoned IBM, awaiting demolition. Abandoned, old Post Office (Starbucks) & Telecom Exchange right, CBD red zone, Cathedral Sq.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Post quake, abandoned, old Post Office & Telecom Exchange, red zone, Cathedral Sq
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned Grant Thornton bldg, to be demolished, red zone Cathedral Sq
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone view, demolition site by Chancery Ln. Bldgs abandoned. The 3 high rises in the pic would be demolished
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. CBD red zone, Cathedral Sq view, yellow digger on demolition site, Colombo St N cnr. Abandoned MFL & Forsyth Barr bldgs right. All bldgs in the pic would be demolished, except Forsyth Barr right, which would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Cathedral Sq: Amidst shady trees, Godley bronze statue was gone. Kids played around the plinth. In front of Christ Church Cathedral ghost, cop kiosk, parked cop car, Canterbury police state alive. (2021. Cop kiosk ghost would be demolished enabling Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement).
26.11.11. CBD red zone crowd by Godley statue plinth, Cathedral Sq. Abandoned Millennium Hotel left, BNZ middle, to be demolished & Chalice sculpture behind tree. Millenium Hotel would become Distinction Hotel
26.11.11. Godley statue plinth, red zone, Cathedral Sq. Southern Encounters & Regent Theatre demolition site beyond. Clarendon Tower to be demolished behind
Double cordon: E, beyond red zone, orange / white, plastic bollard cordon & a steel mesh fence cordon, WW1 Memorial, bronze angel statue, breasts jutting to blue sky. Warners Hotel, gone, demolished. The Press, where a worker was killed in the Feb 22 Killer Quake, gone, demolished.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. WW1 Memorial, Angel statue, quakes survivor, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone. Warners Hotel demolition site & The Press demolition site behind. High rises, Novotel left & Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel behind would be restored
26.11.11. Orange / white, plastic bollards, steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone
26.11.11. Abandoned, steel mesh fence cordoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral. Abandoned Millenium Hotel right, red zone, Cathedral Sq. Millenium Hotel would become Distinction Hotel
Cathedral Sq: Behind the red zone, orange / white, plastic bollard cordon & steel mesh fence cordon, sanitized by removal of collapsed spire & tower rubble, Christ Church Cathedral tower was a stony stump. Rose window, west wall, supported by rusty steel girders, waste of money: Girders were supposed to prop the west wall, but instead were a "Battering Ram," destroying rose window & west wall during the June 13 Quake. Cathedral S, nave wall & transept walls had boarded windows. Below stood a line of shipping containers, barrier against aftershocks.
But the steel mesh cordon was placed so that public couldn't see the N side of Christ Church Cathedral properly. CERA choking.
26.11.11. White / orange, plastic bollards, steel mesh fence cordon. Tower stump & "Battering Ram" steel propped W facade. Abandoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone
26.11.11. Abandoned, steel mesh fence cordoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral & CERA's tourist bus, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned cop kiosk, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone. Abandoned MFL, Forsyth Barr, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Camelot Hotel behind. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished except Forsyth Barr (Crowne Plaza Hotel revamp). The cop kiosk would be demolished, Mar 2021
Like the WW1 Memorial angel statue by Christ Church Cathedral, the Chalice had survived quakes, intact. Both metal structures.
26.11.11. CBD red zone, Cathedral Sq view, Chalice & Colombo St south. BNZ left, ANZ right, to be demolished
Tall, dusty ghosts loomed around Cathedral Sq, all closed, red zoned, abandoned, awaiting demolitions.
26.11.11. Orange / white, plastic bollards, steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone. Abandoned Millennium Hotel right would become Distinction Hotel
Why did CERA take so long letting citizens see Christ Church Cathedral? 9 months' ban, then bus tours in CERA's forbidden CBD, after insurers settled slowly for Christchurch rebuild.
26.11.11. White / orange, plastic bollards, steel mesh fence cordon. "Battering Ram" steel propped W facade. Abandoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone. Abandoned Millennium Hotel right would become Distinction Hotel
Months before, Cathedral Sq access for citizens could easily have been established from Worcester St Bridge.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. CBD red zone, Cathedral Sq view, Worcester Blvd. Southern Encounters & Regent Theatre demolition site left. Clarendon Tower awaited demolition beyond
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange / white, plastic bollard cordon. Tower stump & "Battering Ram" steel propped W facade. Abandoned, serial quake trashed, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone
Time of writing, 26.11.11, many orange zone, Southshore & CBD citizens & white zone Port Hills citizens still waited for CERA to decide whether their residential properties would be green zone or red zone. Lives in limbo while CERA dithered about land. Over 7 000 red zone houses would be demolished in red zoned suburbs (The Press). Ghosts.
Two years later, Nov 2013, some red zoned, Port Hills properties & bare land properties, would still await CERA review of their zoning & / or Crown settlements, as CERA dragged its jackboots by appealing a High Court decision, which had ruled CERA's red zoning of residential properties was unlawful.
26.11.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. S transept boarded windows & shipping container cordon, deconsecrated, Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, CBD red zone. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel behind would be repaired
Mon 28.11.11. The Press reported that 10 500 citizens visited Cathedral Sq on Saturday & 10 000 citizens visited on Sunday.
CERA needed to speed up demolitions & rebuild, so that citizens got their CBD back again. CERA needed to sort out insurers' delays. The Australian govt had shown the way by setting a time limit for insurance settlements after Brisbane flooding.
Sat 03.12.11. I returned to Cathedral Sq so Leah could see Christ Church Cathedral Walkway. I parked on St Asaph St again by McKenzie Willis demolition site.
03.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Colombo St demolition sites view, red zone high rises: Westpac, to be demolished, Hotel Grand Chancellor, being demolished, Holiday Inn, awaiting demolition. Old Council bldg right, Tuam St, would make way for the permanent Bus Interchange
Colombo St: By a demolition site carpark, I snapped "Greening the Rubble" sign on a damaged wall. Many Christchurch demolition sites were weedy, untidy, but great for biologists seeing plant succession, starting with hardy pioneer weeds & grasses. In future the carpark would be part of Hoyts EntX.
03.12.11. Post Quakes Greening the Rubble sign, Colombo St
Leah enjoyed Ballantynes Xmas display windows.
03.12.11. Post quakes, Ballantynes, Xmas display windows, Colombo St / Cashel Mall
Colombo St / Restart Cashel Mall: Fewer citizens on Cathedral Sq Walkway than last Saturday's crowd. Ryan Security, more efficient with plastic pole lanes at Cashel Mall entrance to Colombo St. Red tent canopy at entrance for Ryan Security protection. CERA's Walkway rules sign, which was on a cordon fence obscuring Cashel St view, now attached to another entrance fence.
03.12.11. CERA access controlled, Cashel Mall entrance to Cathedral Sq walkway, at The Crossing, Colombo St. Red zone, bldgs beyond. Westpac & Holiday Inn would be demolished. The Crossing bldg would survive the quakes
03.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red crane. Colombo St, The Crossing view, red zone Cashel St. Westpac right, to be demolished
03.12.11. CERA beggar bucket, Cathedral Sq walkway entrance, The Crossing, Colombo St / Cashel Mall
By the entrance, white plastic, CERA beggar-bucket on a white table. Sign:
YOU ARE INVITED TO MAKE A
GOLD COIN CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS
THE COST OF THE CBD RED ZONE
PUBLIC ACCESS VISITS HERE
More CERA beggar-signs hung on Cathedral Sq, steel mesh fence cordon.
Citizens banned from Cathedral Sq for 9 months since the Feb 22 Killer Quake were "invited" to pay for a CERA apartheid privilege of seeing Cathedral Sq ghosts, behind strangling, red zone, steel mesh fence cordons! CERA's beggar-bucket stank more than rotten food in ghost take-away shops lining garotte fencing on Colombo St.
03.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Colombo St view, red zone High St. Hotel Grand Chancellor middle, being demolished. Holiday Inn behind Flour Power sculpture would also be demolished
03.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Colombo St crossing, E view, Hereford St. Demolition site at cnr, Hotel Grand Chancellor being demolished behind. Flour Power sculpture right would survive the quakes
03.12.11. Colombo St view, demolition crane & red zone CBD, dead high rises: Hotel Grand Chancellor being demolished left, Holiday Inn middle & Westpac right, awaiting demolition
03.12.11. CERA sign, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, by take-away food shops, Colombo St
Colombo St & Cathedral Sq: Since last weekend, apartheid supreme CERA had hung laminated signs (some with pics) on steel mesh fence cordons. By Burger King ghost, steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
Burger King
This building
will remain. [It would be demolished for BNZ Centre].
24 hour dairy
This building will be demolished, and is likely to
be gone by Christmas.
Ghosts.
KFC steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
Milano Building
The decision to
demolish this
building was made
between the owner
and their insurance
company.
KFC
This building on Colombo and High Streets has been deemed uneconomic to repair.
The demolition will begin early in the new year. [For ANZ Centre].
03.12.11. Colombo St view, red zone demolition site, High St. All bldgs were abandoned, most would be demolished, incl Donnell Jewellers right
03.12.11. CERA sign on red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, by BNZ awaiting demolition, Colombo St
Cathedral Sq: BNZ steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
BNZ Building: This is
a dangerous building.
The demolition will
begin in the New Year.
Once the demolition
begins walking access
will not be able to
continue into Cathedral
Square. Plans are
currently underway to retrieve
tenants' essential items.
BNZ would be part-demolished due to asbestos pollution, then stood part-demolished for years. After full-demolition, Spark multi-storey would be built on site.
ANZ steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
ANZ Building
The owner of this building and their insurance
company will determine the future of this building.
ANZ would be demolished for BNZ Centre.
03.12.11. CERA sign on red zone, steel mesh fence cordon by the Chalice, Cathedral Sq
Millennium Hotel /
Heritage Hotel /
Heritage
Apartments
These stood up
remarkably well
during the
earthquakes.
It may be a year before they
can be reopened. The owners
are working with their insurers.
Millennium Hotel would stay closed for years. (Would become Distinction Hotel). Heritage Hotel & Apartments would reopen.
This has stood up
well through the
earthquakes. It is
fenced off to protect
it from vehicles
moving in and out
of Cathedral
Square.
03.12.11. Orange / white, plastic bollard cordon. Steel mesh fence cordon. "Battering ram" steel propped W facade. Abandoned, serial quake trashed Christ Church Cathedral, behind red zone cordon, Cathedral Sq
03.12.11. Cathedral Sq, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon view, Chalice. BNZ behind, awaited demolition for new multi-storey Spark
Cathedral Sq: Steel mesh fence cordon, another beggar-sign:
You are invited to make a
gold coin contribution towards
the cost of the CBD red zone
public access visits here.
Thank you.
In front of the steel mesh fence cordoned old Post Office, CERA had erected porta-cabins. Steel mesh fence cordon sign:
Temporary Buildings
These are CERA's demolition headquarters,
relocated from the corner of Tuam and
Manchester Streets, as part of plans to reduce
the cordon.
Ha! CERA steel mesh fence cordons would stay for years in the CBD & residential red zones.
Porta-cabin, another CERA sign:
CERA
CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE
RECOVERY AUTHORITY
OPERATIONS PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE
CERA had turned Cathedral Sq into a theme park. CERA, far removed from the hell of suburban quake squalor, made themselves comfortable in CERA occupied CBD. Lovely to have offices in Cathedral Sq, protected by NZDF cordons & checkpoints, without scrutiny by ratepayers & taxpayers.
03.12.11. CERA Demolition HQ offices & blue portaloo in red zone, Cathedral Sq. Abandoned old Post Office & Telecom Exchange left. Abandoned Clarendon Tower to be demolished right
03.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. CERA Demolition HQ sign, red zone, Cathedral Sq
03.12.11. Cathedral Sq: Red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, blue portaloos, CERA Demolition HQ offices & IBM bldg left, awaiting demolition. Abandoned old Post Office & Telecom Exchange right
Cathedral Sq: Steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
The Old Post Office
This will
remain. You
can see the
Telecom
Exchange
which will
also remain.
CERA's demolition apartheid ruled: Demolitions dictator, Isaacs throned himself in Cathedral Sq, Demolition HQ, citizens excluded. When would CERA leave?
03.12.11. CERA sign on red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, Cathedral Sq. Clarendon Tower left, Grant Thornton bldg right to be demolished
Cathedral Sq, steel mesh fence cordon sign:
Regent Theatre: This has been demolished.
(See bottom left, now vacant site in photograph).
03.12.11. CERA sign on red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, with The Press demolition site info, Cathedral Sq
Cathedral Sq, steel mesh fence cordon sign:
The Press Building - the top floor collapsed in the February 22
earthquake.
Sun 04.12.11. Parked on St Asaph St again, returning to Cathedral Sq, 3rd visit, as I wanted to finish snapping CERA signs & Cathedral Sq ghosts.
04.12.11. Red zone public loos abandoned behind steel mesh fence cordon, Cathedral Sq. Abandoned IBM left awaited demolition. Abandoned old Post Office & Telecom Exchange behind right
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, red zone view, CERA Demolition HQ offices & blue portaloos. Abandoned old Post Office & Telecom Exchange left. Clarendon Tower to be demolished beyond
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, red zone view, CERA Demolition HQ offices. Behind Chalice, BNZ left, IBM right to be demolished
04.12.11. Godley statue plinth, bronze statue Feb 22 quake toppled, red zone Cathedral Sq
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordoned. Quake crane. Cathedral Sq, W view, red zone Worcester Blvd. Clarendon Tower left, Grant Thornton right awaited demolition
04.12.11. Cathedral Sq, N view, CERA sign on steel mesh fence cordon & red zone abandoned bldgs
Cathedral Sq: Steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
On the northern side of the Square
MFL and Price Waterhouse Cooper buildings
will be demolished.
Steel mesh fence cordon, another CERA sign:
Demolition of Warners.
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, N view, red zone, abandoned high rises: MFL left, Forsyth Barr middle, PWC & Camelot Hotel right, awaited demolition. Forsyth Barr was refurbished as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC demo site would enable the new RC Cathedral precinct, 2021. Camelot Hotel demo site would enable the new Library Turanga
04.12.11. Red zone Cathedral Sq view, CERA sign on steel mesh fence cordon. Police kiosk & red zone, abandoned bldgs beyond. 2021. Police kiosk would be demolished for Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement
Sunny Sunday crowd, bigger than sunny Saturday crowd. We had a last look at CERA's apartheid Cathedral Sq & ghosts, before CERA separation again.
Christ Church Cathedral's tower stump would be part-demolished, before Heritage hailers would put a legal stop to Christ Church Cathedral demolition in 2012.
04.12.11. CERA's tourist bus in steel mesh fence cordoned, red zone Cathedral Sq, 9 months post Feb 22 quake
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Orange / white, plastic bollard cordon. Serial quake trashed Christ Church Cathedral, Cathedral Sq, red zone, 9 months post Feb 22 quake
Colombo St / Hereford St crossing: Steel mesh fence cordon, CERA sign:
Telecom Exchange and Ibis Hotel -
Hereford St
These buildings will
remain. The Ibis Hotel is
hoping to be open by the
middle of next year.
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone Colombo St, S view, Cathedral Sq walkway to The Crossing, Colombo St / Cashel St
04.12.11. Cathedral Sq walkway entrance by Ballantynes, Colombo St / Cashel Mall
Colombo St: Returning to my car, I snapped ghosts: Next to a demolition site, Xmas bunting hung on a red zone, steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned Beggs music shop windows had 9 months' quake dust & demolition dust on windows. Beggs relocated to South City mall.
Abandoned Krishna Cafe Pure Vegetarian restaurant.
Colombo St / St Asaph St: Closed Sports Power shop. Red seat still on cnr pavement, used by red zone, NZDF checkpoint soldiers, months before.
Sept 2012. Sports Power would be revamped as Tradestaff, anticipating recruitment for CERA's promised CBD rebuild.
Red roses, stuck into a red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, in memory of Colombo St dead.
04.12.11. Nine months old quake dust & demolition dust, on steel mesh fence cordoned, Beggs music shop windows, red zone Colombo St, nr St Asaph St crossing. Beggs relocated to South City mall
04.12.11. Abandoned Krishna Cafe, fence cordoned, red zone Colombo St, nr St Asaph St crossing. C meant Clear no bodies
04.12.11. Red roses, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, Colombo St / St Asaph St, 9 months post Feb 22 quake
St Asaph St: Old Council ghost, Tuam St: some broken windows, boarded. At last! Council multi-storey would be demolished for the permanent Bus Interchange
P & D Duncan Ltd, part repaired, brick 3 storey, open, parapet gone, gable, metal sleeved.
Scaffolded, 3 storey, brick ghost, demolition sites both sides of bldg. Old Victorian ad painted on brick sidewall:
... R HUDSON & CO LTD
IRVINE & STEVENSON LTD
Demolition site / carpark & S view to wood braced, clock-towered, old station ghost, Moorhouse Ave & beyond to Port Hills. The old station would be demolished.
04.12.11. St Asaph St view, quake damaged, old Council bldg, Tuam St, CBD red zone. Westpac middle & Holiday Inn right, awaited demolition. The Council bldg would make way for the permanent Bus Interchange
04.12.11. Orange / white, plastic bollard cordon. Post quake repaired gable, parapet gone, P & D Duncan Ltd, St Asaph St
04.12.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Quake survivor, scaffolded brick bldg. Quake demolition sites both sides of bldg, St Asaph St
04.12.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake damaged bldg by quake demolition site, St Asaph St
04.12.11. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Quake demolition site / carpark view, quake damaged, old station clock tower & Port Hills. Seen from St Asaph St. The old station would be demolished
St Asaph St steel mesh fence cordon, gibberish sign:
ARE YOU...
Looking4rentals.co.nz
IS LOOKING 4 PROPERTIES
Are you... looking 4 customised management
Are you... looking 4 better rental returns
That sort of vampire advertising hung on steel mesh fence cordons post quakes, businesses wanting to make fast-bucks from Christchurch citizens. A post quake housing crisis would evolve in Christchurch, CERA minister Brownlee denying it.
McKenzie Willis demolition site: Salvaged wooden floor pile, heap of twisted, rusty rebars, by the red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, a SOUTHERN DEMOLITION threat sign:
TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED
Southern Demolition didn't own that site, just used it as a salvage yard, making a dump & dust pollution. Never mind commuters passing the site, having to breath in Southern Demolition dust pollution. (2019. After demolitions, restorations & new builds, the area would be called Salt District). For years, during CERA's apartheid regime, there would be more threat signs & health hazards in Christchurch.
04.12.11. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. Steel mesh fence cordon. McKenzie Willis demolition site, CBD red zone, St Asaph St
Fourteen months post M7.1, 04.09.10 Darfield Quake & 9 months post M6.3, 22.02.11 Killer Quake & 5 months post M6.3, June 13 Quake, although there were risks of aftershocks, amidst dangerous death-traps still, 1 000s of citizens wandering Cathedral Sq Walkway, showed citizens wanted their CBD back again soon. But apartheid CERA would prevent that. Meanwhile, Christchurch CBD would be ghost land, strangled by red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, guarded by NZDF checkpoints for 28 months.
After the second weekend, The Press reported that 40 000 citizens had already wandered Cathedral Sq Walkway. CERA opened the Walkway for another 2 weekends.
Considering all the old bldgs that collapsed in the CBD & modern bldgs that failed & ongoing demolitions, there were hundreds of badly constructed / badly strengthened bldgs in pre-quake CBD. So much for business acumen, architecture design, state of the arts engineering, construction, safety.
*Trekked St Asaph St, Colombo St, Cathedral Sq. 190 snaps.
Coda:
Post 23.12.11 Xmas Quake Swarm damage to Christ Church Cathedral, it was decided Christ Church Cathedral would be demolished. But Christ Church Cathedral demolition / restoration hassles would not be finished yet. Long story...
Sun 14.02.16. Valentines Day, M5.7 quake. Christ Church Cathedral W facade would crumble more, despite the steel "Battering Ram" propping the facade.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See 6000 red zone houses to be bowled (Stuff Co / The Press).
See Liquefaction data ignored - report (Stuff Co / The Press).
See Inner city Christchurch transport plan released 30 October 2013 (CERA media release).
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