16.10.13. Mona Vale front gate sign, Wairarapa Stream, Fendalton Rd
Mona Vale focus. Fendalton Rd: Wed 16.10.13. I hadn't seen Mona Vale since 4 September quake, so time for another look. Mona Vale, Council park at a 4 river confluence: Wairarapa Steam, Waimairi Stream, Avon River, Mill Stream, railway / trashed brick wall one side, housing other side of the river. Mona Vale started as Victorian private property taken over by Council in the 1960s. NZ Historic Places Trust listed Mona Vale as Category 1 Historic Place, ratepayers paid for upkeep & damages.
16.10.13. Quake trashed, abandoned Mona Vale gate house, Fendalton Rd. The gate house would be repaired, 2016
16.10.13. City Care workmen clearing water weed, Wairarapa Stream, Mona Vale, Fendalton Rd
Heritage hailers squawked when post-quake demolitions were imminent, but did little fund-raising to protect heritage bldgs. So damaged, heritage bldgs just stood empty, ghosts, steel mesh fence cordoned.
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, abandoned Mona Vale gate house, Fendalton Rd. The gate house would be repaired, 2016
Fendalton Rd: By the railway, I looked at Mona Vale, gate-house ghost, steel mesh fence cordoned since 22 February quake. Fallen chimney still lay on the footpath, metal sheeting covering 2 parts of the roof, where 2 chimneys collapsed. Walls: cracked, boarded.
Gate-house would be repaired, 2016.
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, abandoned Mona Vale gate house, Fendalton Rd. The gate house would be repaired, 2016
Steel mesh fence cordon, Council info board:
This Christchurch City Council facility is closed due to earthquakes.
The Council is striving to assess and carry out work on its 1600 buildings as quickly as possible as part of its Facilities Rebuild Plan Programme...
Given ghosts haunting Christchurch, like Mona Vale, Bishopdale Community Centre... the plan was slow.
16.10.13. Wairarapa Stream, Waimari Stream, Avon River confluence, Mona Vale
Crossed a couple of wooden bridges where Waimairi Stream & Avon River joined Wairarapa Stream. Leah liked feeding ducks there, peaceful place, away from Fendalton Rd.
By the carpark a lengthy section of garden brick wall bordering the railway had collapsed, rubble lying alongside the broken wall. Past the rose garden towards the fernery, more sections of brick wall had collapsed, rubble ditto.
16.10.13. Quake collapsed brick wall, Avon River, Mona Vale
16.10.13. Quake collapsed brick wall between railway & Mona Vale carpark
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake collapsed brick wall, Mona Vale fernery
Homestead / restaurant ghost, steel mesh fence cordoned since 2010-11 quakes, propped by wood & steel bracing & big concrete blocks on two sides. Many windows of the 2 storey house, boarded. Large section of the front wall, covered in black plastic.
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, abandoned Mona Vale homestead / restaurant
Steel mesh fence cordon, Council info board:
The Homestead
Mona Vale
The building was damaged in the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes and aftershocks.
Propping walls and other support is designed to keep the building weather-proof [stopped collapse] until a decision about its future can be made.
The English arts and crafts movement influenced the design of the homestead. It was built in 1897 for Frederick Waymouth manager of the region's frozen meat works. Heiress Annie Townend purchased the property in 1905 renaming it Mona Vale after her mother's birthplace in Tasmania.
New Zealand Historic Places Trust / Pouhere Toanga lists Mona Vale as a Category 1 Historic Place.
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, abandoned Mona Vale homestead / restaurant
16.10.13. Quake closed, abandoned Bath House, Mona Vale
16.10.13. Mona Vale, Bath House view: Avon River
By Christchurch Girls HS sports ground, another gate-house ghost: boarded windows, black plastic / boarded roof damages, steel mesh fence cordoned. Pre-quakes, Council used the bldg as Botanical Services office. Garden, used as a nursery for park plants. Back gate sign:
PRIVATE
RESIDENCE
PLEASE
KEEP OUT!
Only an idiot would enter that ghost house. Front door, still green stickered, March 2011, NO RESTRICTION ON USE OR OCCUPANCY... Madness of post-quake, rapid assessment by Council!
16.10.13. Quake trashed, abandoned, Mona Vale office / gate house
16.10.13. Mona Vale back gate sign
Avon River rolled on. Five orange, Hi-Vis vested, City Care workmen waded the river, removing river weed using long poles. Weeds floated downstream. Botanical Services workmen weeded flower beds. School girls wandered to school, joggers jogged through the riverside park. The wrought iron gazebo with copper dome & stained glass windows, undamaged by quakes.
16.10.13. Wrought iron gazebo, Mona Vale
Trekked back to Burnside via Matai St West & Straven Rd, damaged housing & demolitions hidden by shrubbery & high walls. By the railway opp Mona Vale, on Matai St West cnr, a brick-clad ghost: black plastic covered walls, gables. Further on, 2 storey, Oamaru whitestone house: broken garden wall, cracked chimney.
16.10.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake abandoned house, Matai St West, by railway opp Mona Vale
16.10.13. Quake repairs, tradesman sign, Matai St West
16.10.13. Quake cracked, Oamaru whitestone chimney, Matai St West
16.10.13. Quake collapsed garden wall, Matai St West
16.10.13. Quake damaged, part repaired house, Matai St West
Straven Rd: Near Christchurch Boys HS: several ghosts, contractors did repairs: asphalters, roofers, painters... Waimairi Stream & Avon River flowed under Straven Rd to Mona Vale, houses built on swampland.
16.10.13. Christchurch Boys High, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Quake damaged war memorial, Christchurch BH, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Post quake house repair, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Quake collapsed, garden wall next to Avon River, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Avon River, Straven Rd
16.10.13. SOLD. Real estate sign, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Post quake house repair, Straven Rd
Like trashed Mona Vale, Council confluence: new Council with new mayor Dalziel & mostly new councillors: Council could either maintain management weeds grown by Parker's & Marryatt's former Council, or clean up post-quake Council whose many managers were overpaid: 248 managers, each earning $100 000+ p.a. in a 2 803 Council workforce. (The Press 04.10.13). Ratepayers, ripped off by Council's manager / workman ratio 1:11.
16.10.13. Post quake temp house repair, Straven Rd
Former Council left a mess: Crown manager dredging the consents debacle, CERA panting down new councillors' necks. Sooner the Crown manager weeded out superfluous Council managers the better.
16.10.13. Post quake house repair, Straven Rd
16.10.13. Quake damaged garden wall, Straven Rd
*Trekked Fendalton Rd, Matai St West, Straven Rd. 125 images.
Thursday 31.10.13. 4.21am, M4.2 quake, 9km depth, 20km W of Christchurch (GeoNet). Slept through it.
The Press reported big Canterbury quakes since 4 September quake:
Magnitude Number
M7.0 & above 1
M6.0-M6.9 3
M5.0-M5.9 53
M4.0-M4.9 502
M3.0-M3.9 404
Coda:
Sunday 12.07.15. TVNZ, OneNews reported Mona Vale was being repaired. Like Mona Vale, many residences & public bldgs stood around for years post-quakes, before quake repairs.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Council boss may get pay rise (The Press / Stuff Co).
