2013. CERA Residential Red Zone, Avondale, 2 Years Post Feb 22 Quake

Last year, anniversary of the 22.02.11 quake, I walked Avondale red zone streets: Alloway St (Red zone), Prestwick St (Red), Woolley St (Red / Green zone), Sharlick St (R), Edna St (R), Niven St (R/G) & a bit of Breezes Rd (R/G) near Avon River.

It was the day Christchurch people put flowers in road cones all over Christchurch to remember 185 quake dead. Few demolitions had happened in Avondale & many quake trashed houses were abandoned.

Sat 09.02.13. Nearly 2 years post 22.02.11 quake, I had another look at Avondale residential red zone. En route, I stopped at Carlton Mill Rd to snap pics of a block of flats being demolished. The flats had stood eyesore-empty since the 22.02.11 quake.

09.02.13. Flats demolition site & graffiti, Carlton Mill Rd

09.02.13. Flats demolition, Carlton Mill Rd

 

 

  

I parked my car on quake trashed Avonside Dr, nr Avondale Rd Bridge, fence cordoned for SCIRT repairs. Scullers were practising rowing on Avon River, Kerrs Reach, while their coaches cycled the stopbank, calling scullers with loudhailers. Scullers were like teenager Charons rowing the River Styx, as dead, abandoned, red zone housing was on both river banks.

09.02.13. Avonside Dr view of Avon scullers on Kerrs Reach. New Brighton Rd on opp bank

Post quakes, Avon River was reclaiming its swampland, where houses had foolishly been built. Across Avon River, Horseshoe Lake area was red zoned, houses abandoned. Avondale by Avon River was in similar swamp wasteland. 

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition site, Avonside Dr, Avondale

09.02.13. Avonside Dr view of SCIRT repairs to Avondale Rd Bridge left

09.02.13. Graffito, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

 

09.02.13. DANGER sign graffito, red zone house demolition site, Avonside Dr, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

NZ govt / CERA new Crown owner of Avondale red zone, residential land, left the CERA proclaimed red zone an ugly wasteland, a weedy, grassy fire hazard, a mess. So Far, NZ govt / CERA hadn't said what it would do with all the red zone residential land it acquired. Never mind green zoners who had to live next to red zone wasteland.

09.02.13. Red zone abandoned house, cnr Alloway St & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon River stopbank right

09.02.13. Weedy, red zone house demolition site, Alloway St, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Alloway St, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, cnr Alloway St & Avondale Rd, Avondale

09.02.13. Avonside Dr view of Avon scullers passing New Brighton Rd repairs by Horseshoe Lake outlet

NZ govt / Crown / CERA was determined to acquire all the red zone land it proclaimed, with 2 Crown offers: 1. Crown Offer of 2007 rateable value for house & land, with the Crown taking over house insurance policy. 2. Crown Offer for land only, while home owner negotiated with insurer for house payout. Either way, NZ govt / Crown got all the red zone land it decreed. Something stank in the state.

09.02.13. Red zone demolition site & abandoned housing, cnr Prestwick St & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon River stopbank right

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Prestwick St, Avondale

09.02.13. Mowed house demolition sites, red zone, Prestwick St, Avondale

09.02.13. Overgrown garden, red zone abandoned house, Prestwick St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone, Avonside Dr view of Avon scullers, Avondale. Red zone abandoned housing, New Brighton Rd, on opp bank

09.02.13. Red zone, Avonside Dr view of Avon scullers, Avondale. Red zone abandoned housing, Locksley Ave, on opp bank

I wandered the red zone between Avonside Dr & Avondale Rd, zigzagging along side streets from Avondale Rd Bridge to Christs College Rowing club, a new, green shed, Kerrs Reach.

Saving grace of CERA wasteland were hardy flowers amongst weeds: roses, cannas, red hot pokers, agapanthus, hydrangeas. I snapped pink lilies on a verge by a blue plastic water pipe, Avonside Dr. Minutes later a maroon car stopped, a fat woman got out & stole the lilies

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition sites, cnr Woolley St & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon River stopbank right

09.02.13. Earthquake Contacts sign, red zone, Woolley St, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti on red zone house fence sign, Avonside Dr, Avondale

Insurers & CERA had demolished many red zone houses since I last wandered Avondale. Demolished lots were weedy, a fire hazard. Some mowing had been done on verges & demolition lots. Most lots still had long grass & weeds, particularly side roads, grass & weeds up to window height. Where houses still stood on red zone land, little mowing was done.  

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition site & abandoned house, cnr Sharlick St & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon River stopbank right

09.02.13. Red zone, speed limit sign, cnr Sharlick St & Avondale Rd. Red zone abandoned house behind

09.02.13. Red zone, blue water pipe & graffiti, Sharlick St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone, overgrown garden & abandoned house, Sharlick St, Avondale

Admonition on a blue taped house window:

PLEASE BE
GENTLE I
WAS ONCE
A
HOME (blue heart pic)

09.02.13. Mowed red zone garden & window sign on abandoned house, Sharlick St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone, demolition machines on house demolition site, cnr Sharlick St & Avondale Rd, Avondale. Abandoned house beyond

09.02.13. Mowed garden & graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone, cnr Edna St & Avonside Dr. Avon River stopbank right

I didn't snap too many pics of empty, quake trashed housing, as I'd already done that. In places demolitions were so extensive, I saw right across weedy lots from one side road to another.

09.02.13. Red zone, cnr Niven St & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon stopbank & Locksley Ave red zone abandoned housing beyond

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition site & graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Niven St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone blue water pipe & graffito, Niven St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone speed limit sign, Niven St, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Niven St, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition site & graffito on red zone house fence, Avonside Dr, Avondale

I confined my pics to graffiti on empty housing. Disaffected taggers left their ugly graffiti on still standing Avonside Dr houses & some Avondale Rd housing. Attention seeking taggers were too lazy to walk side roads.

09.02.13. Red zone, cnr Breezes Rd & Avonside Dr, Avondale. Avon stopbank & red zone Locksley Ave beyond

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Breezes Rd, Avondale

09.02.13. Blue water pipe & red zone, abandoned housing, Breezes Rd, Avondale

09.02.13. Hazard board & red zone abandoned house awaiting demolition, Breezes Rd, Avondale

09.02.13. Red zone abandoned business, Breezes Rd, Avondale

09.02.13. Graffito on fence by red zone, house demolition site, Avonside Dr, Avondale

A CERA goon had green spray-painted the letters HM, with a green tick on top of the M, on every red zone house. Never mind green stickers on front windows showing electricity cut off. Open invitation for taggers.

09.02.13. Graffiti on fence, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

Some houses ready for demolitions had fence cordons. On one Hazard board I saw ASBESTOS printed. I wondered how much asbestos was floating in the air & in Avonside ponding. Heaps of dried, grey liquefaction sand still lay on pavements.

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, Avonside Dr, Avondale

The footbridge over Porritt Park stream by rebuilt Christ's College Rowing club was gone, demolished.

09.02.13. Avonside Dr stopbank view of post quakes rebuilt Christ's College Rowing club, Avondale

I looked at tagging by Wainoni Rd shops, nr Bikerton St junction, opp Porritt Park. A quake-closed surgery wall, window & rubbish bin was tagged. The Fish & Chips shop side wall was tagged. Windows of other shops had tags etched on glass. A yellow bldg on Bickerton St cnr was covered in graffiti. Avonside Dr, there was graffiti on several abandoned houses, opp Porritt Park.  

09.02.13. Tagged road signs & power pole, Wainoni Rd

09.02.13. Tagged red zone surgery, Wainoni Rd

09.02.13. Tagged Fish & Chips shop wall, Wainoni Rd

09.02.13. Tagged business, cnr Bikerton St & Wainoni Rd

09.02.13. Tagged, abandoned red zone house, Avonside Dr, opp Porritt Park

09.02.13. Tagged, abandoned, red zone house, Avonside Dr, nr Snell Pl demolished footbridge

I crossed Avon River via Gayhurst Rd Bridge. Quake trashed, swampland, Locksley Ave, like Avonside Dr on the opp bank, was also red zoned. Locksley Ave had less graffiti, verges & demolished lots were in better mown condition. Snell Pl footbridge was gone, demolished. Just 2 concrete abutment stumps left on Avon River banks.

09.02.13. Red zone house demolition site & tagged, abandoned house, Locksley Ave, nr Gayhurst Rd Bridge

09.02.13. Quake trashed, abandoned, red zone house, cnr Snell Pl & Locksley Ave

09.02.13. Red zone graffito by abutment stump, demolished Snell Pl Footbridge over Avon River

09.02.13. Red zone abandoned house, Locksley Ave

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone house fence, Locksley Ave

09.02.13. Red zone graffito, green plastic sewage tank, Locksley Ave

09.02.13. Red zone graffiti, Locksley Ave

 
I parked my car under a tree at Locksley Ave / New Brighton Rd junction, by the stopbank. Whenever I drove along New Brighton Rd I saw how Avon River was reclaiming swampland. Quakes had sunk the road by Locksley Ave junction, causing Avon ponding & water seepage at high tides. One roadside, demolition lot was a stagnant pond, mature reeds growing in the pond. Pity the swamp housing behind.

09.02.13. Painted over graffiti, red zone abandoned house, cnr Locksley Ave & New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Red zone graffiti, abandoned house, New Brighton Rd

By ponding, a road detour next to several tagged, abandoned houses, was the usual SCIRT mess we  endured post quakes - cordon fencing, detour signs, road cones, tar patching, excavation machines, viz vested workmen standing around, SUPER SILENT road pumps & pipes. Since SCIRT had taken over infrastructure renewal, Christchurch had become Detour City. Every week I drove along a couple of new detours caused by SCIRT excavations.

09.02.13. Red zone graffiti, abandoned housing, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Avon River seepage & ponding on red zone demolition site, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Avon River ponding, middle of New Brighton Rd, nr Locksley Ave junction. Avon River stopbank right

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, New Brighton Rd

 

09.02.13. Red zone abandoned housing, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone abandoned house, New Brighton Rd

Given the volume of gross tagging on red zone housing, New Brighton Rd, taggers ignored CERA signs:

CERA
NO AUTHORISED ACCESS
NO DUMPING

09.02.13. CERA sign & graffiti, red zone abandoned house, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Hubcaps on a cordon fence, red zone abandoned house, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Graffiti, red zone fence, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Graffiti & sandbags, New Brighton Rd, nr Horseshoe Lake outlet

 
I wandered the detour footpath & snapped pics of tagged housing up to Horsheshoe Lake pump station outlet. CERA prohibition signs hanging on fences were ignored by taggers. On a cordon fence 6 hubcaps hung, showing road bumpiness. Workmen in orange viz vests chomped their lunches, seated on sandbags, under a willow on Avon River bank. Their job was to pump water from below quake trashed New Brighton Rd into Horseshoe Lake outlet.  

09.02.13. Red zone, Horseshoe Lake pump station, New Brighton Rd

09.02.13. Pumps by red zone, Horseshoe Lake outlet, New Brighton Rd. Avondale red zone beyond Avon River

09.02.13. Water pumped from below quake trashed New Brighton Rd flowing into Horseshoe Lake outlet

Avon River rolled on & scullers still sculled past red zone, ghost housing by Kerrs Reach.

09.02.13. New Brighton Rd red zone view of scullers on Kerrs Reach, Avon River. Avondale red zone abandoned housing beyond

09.02.13. SCIRT detour & tagged, abandoned red zone housing, New Brighton Rd

 

09.02.13. New Brighton Rd red zone view of Kerrs Reach, Avon River

09.02.13. New Brighton Rd red zone view of scullers on Kerrs Reach, Avon River. Avondale abandoned red zone housing beyond

09.02.13. Avon River post quake seepage & ponding by tagged, abandoned red zone house, New Brighton Rd

A week later some of the New Brighton Rd houses were whitewashed & re-tagged. Taggers gave the middle finger to CERA.

09.02.13. SCIRT detour by Avon River ponding on a red zone house demolition site, New Brighton Rd

 

09.02.13. Red zone New Brighton Rd view of scullers on Kerrs Reach, Avon River. Red zone abandoned Avondale housing beyond

 

George Orwell "1984" quote: "In a time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Last week CERA minister Brownlee had a secret meeting with Council, sweet-talking compliant councillors into postponing their 10 year, Long Term Plan for Christchurch until 2015. In the interim, Council would have a 3 year plan, cost sharing with CERA. Just so that Brownlee could waste ratepayers' money on white elephants like a new convention centre, rugby stadium... all in CERA's CCDU blueprint of course. (Mainland Press 14.02.13).

CERA boasted about progress in its "Greater Christchurch Recovery Update" newsletter, with self praise articles by Brownlee & CERA boss Sutton. SCIRT published a column of self praise stats about its progress, meaningless figures. Example, Issue 18 February 2013: "157,464 square metres road pavement laid." SCIRT didn't say if the tarseal was permanent or just patches.

Whatever. Christchurch quake trashed roads & SCIRT patched roads were still Third World. SCIRT bureaucrats should drive eastern suburb roads to see what a laugh their stats were. We lived in Detour City, or Pothole City. Take your pick.

More CERA boasting, same newsletter:

"Land Acquisition Update

Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) has settled its first land acquisition deals, [CBD land grab] signed two further agreements, and received signed sale and purchase documents from 16 land owners. It has also reached agreement in principal with a further 19 parties.

Minister for Canterbury Earthquake recovery Gerry Brownlee says, 'Negotiations are underway on 177 other properties, some of them well advanced, so altogether CCDU has made progress on 216 CBD sites starting with those of highest priority.'

[Vague as Brownlee didn't say whether land acquisition was for CERA / Crown grand bldgs or Frame land?]

CCDU is well advanced through the planning process for the Convention Centre [proved worldwide loss maker] and will have all the land cleared by year's end. Clearance of land required for the Metro Sports facility will begin this year, paving the way for construction in 2014."

Reminiscent of Scottish Clearances. Sound bldgs trashed by CERA for its CBD grand schemes.

Who paid for CERA's CBD grand schemes Brownlee? Snag was that 2 years post 22.02.11 quake, the govt touted convention centre was stuck at the planning stage. Looked like CERA's zombies in hard hats had given themselves eternal sinecures.

Eastern suburb people still existed on quake trashed land & in quake trashed housing, while SCIRT, Council, EQC, insurers & CERA dithered.

Meanwhile NZ First list MP, fat tosser Prosser slagged off Muslims with his published "Wogistan" comment & recommending Muslim men shouldn't be allowed on plane flights. Fascist Prosser wasn't even original in his racist comments. He stole them from SA apartheid Nat racists: Bantustans, Africans & Indians, incl Christians, Hindus & Muslims, forbidden use of white public transport, forced to use their own separate transport.

Wed 13.02.13, 4.39 pm, 3.6 mag quake, 8 km depth, 15 km W of Christchurch (Geonet). Wobbled my computer chair as it rumbled by. Leah said it shook her London St school.

Fri 15.02.13 One News. Brownlee spin for those outside Canterbury: Wearing a hard hat, Brownlee announced the red zone CBD would henceforth be called the Rebuild Zone. What a laugh. Retard Zone was more like it. Every time I looked into the CBD red zone I saw ghost bldgs & few workers. Weekend Press 16-17.02.13 also boasted figures by Brownlee similar to the above. Brownlee said military cordons would be gone by July.

Two years post 22.02.11 quake, the CBD was still red zone cordon fenced, with checkpoints guarded by soldiers. When soldiers vamoosed, cordon fences were removed & citizens were no longer banned from the demolished CBD & rebuild was actually happening in the CBD, not planning, nor paltry restorations of old bldgs, like New Regent St & Isaac Theatre Royal, maybe then you could call it the Rebuild Zone.

Not much rebuilding or repairs were going on in the eastern suburbs Brownlee. Have a look sometime. Taggers were taking over. Until roads were fixed properly one couldn't boast about a rebuild - anywhere. As for Recovery - Ha!

Funny Brownlee, how MAINZEAL construction Co, contracted to CERA, went into receivership last week.

See Convention centre project 'pivotal' (The Press / Stuff Co).

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.