Christchurch Garden City Trust presents
festival of flowers
17 Feb - 2 Mar 2012
Port-a-loos on a Pine Mound
Bunty's Retreat
Poor Bunty. The plumbing of her Cashmere residence is munted!
In order to maintain her high standards she has commandeered and made her
own port-a-loo to which she has tastefully applied her designer skills. She must
retain her self-sufficiency and her privacy in her personal privy. Her garden is
blooming and the future is looking bright.
Cashmere Garden Club
Colour me beautiful
Christchurch
Nearby Canterbury Museum: we saw a room full of wearable-art. Another room displayed 100s of quilted hearts from NZ & overseas. The quilts hung on walls. The Hearts for Christchurch idea arose from the 22 February 2011 Quake.
18.02.12. Post quake, Festival of Flowers, Christchurch Botanic Gdns, Rolleston Ave
18.02.12. Taking the piss, quake portaloo, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
18.02.12. Post quake, Hearts for Christchurch, Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Ave
Part of the hearts-room was sectioned off with flowers & monarch butterflies. Four days later the monarch butterflies were released at the 22 February 2011 Quake memorial-service in Hagley Park.
18.02.12. Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Ave: Monarch butterflies for 22.02.11 quake anniversary, memorial service, Hagley Park
Wednesday 22.02.12, 8.30am. We watched a live TV broadcast of the 22 February 2011 Quake memorial-service in Latimer Sq. Dignitaries sat on stage: Old Maori leader with a stick, Governor General, mayor, National party Leader, Labour party Leader, Anglican bishop, Muslim priest, Rabbi, two Asian priests, all dressed-up, all speechifying except the GG. There was some deaf-interpretation by two hand-waving interpreters. Four high school girls sang. The staged-service ended with a military-band accompanied by a male soloist. The band was dressed in red-coats. The whole lot, including a small standing crowd were surrounded by cops.
Over quake-years people contacted me personally or via blog comments & emails giving feedback. Some asked for permission to use my blog pics for post-quake fundraisers; for a proposed Avon River Park; or queries about ruined-buildings; or for Council planning of suburban shop rebuilds; or for Regional Council quake-safety planning. A Canadian school teacher used my blog posts for classroom activities. Other pic use: local university theses, MAs & Phds; local journalist information; a German professor's quake-archeology research; a local professor's quake-mapping research; an American engineer's quake-flooding research; a local professor's protest record; journal publications.
Wednesday 22.02.12. Avoiding schmaltzy anniversary functions, I trekked Avondale:
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers on bench, Avon River, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers on orange, plastic, road cones, Avonside Dr, nr Bowie Pl
Avonside Dr: I saw anniversary, white agapanthus blooms atop orange-plastic-road-cones.
Dallington Tce: I saw anniversary hydrangeas atop orange-plastic-road-cones. A nearby sign:
ROAD
CLOSED
AHEAD
Locksley Ave: I saw bunches of flowers atop orange-plastic-road-cones. That anniversary day, I saw several ROAD CLOSED signs on Avondale roads amongst ruined-houses.
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Gayhurst Rd Bridge, Gayhurst Rd / Dallington Tce. Gayhurst Rd Bridge would be demolished, rebuilt, reopened 2015
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Locksley Ave, nr Gayhurst Rd Bridge. Houses would be demolished
22.02.12. Red zone, Locksley Ave, abandoned house, blue water pipe, Locksley Ave. The house would be demolished
22.02.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Locksley Ave view, anniversary flowers on Snell Pl Footbridge, steel mesh fence cordoned, over Avon River. Snell St Footbridge would be demolished
Anniversary flowers festooned steel-mesh-fence-cordoned Snell Pl Footbridge. A cordon-fence threat-sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
Never mind cracked, buckled, lumpy, patched-roads still to be properly fixed by Council & quakemire still to be cleared by Council. I regularly drove past new sewage-pipe excavations by South New Brighton School, which still used portaloos a year post 22 February 2011 Quake. Sewage- roadworks went on for months causing Estuary Rd / Bridge St detours & a dust-bowl for residents.
22.02.12. Avonside Dr view, quake anniversary flowers on orange, plastic, road cones, Avon River stopbank, by Avondale Rd Bridge
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers, Avondale Rd Bridge. Quake separation of span from abutment. Abutment would be demolished & replaced by SCIRT, 2013
Avonside Dr: Anniversary flowers festooned Avondale Rd Bridge. A bridge sign:
Healthy Christchurch
and Avon Otakaro Network
February 22 / Earthquake Commemoration Site
river of flowers
Te Waitohi Maumahara
Site to be hosted by From (time)
Avondale Residents 12:30 to 1:30pm
Association
For details visit www...
Ruins everywhere: tilted power-poles; liquefactioned cracked-footpaths; blue-plastic-water-pipes on footpaths; roadside, green-plastic-sewage tanks, or black-plastic-sewage-tanks; toppled garden-walls; toppled house-walls; overgrown-gardens; ruined-houses, curtains closed; wood- propped walls; tarped-roofs; boarded-walls; boarded-windows; toppled-chimneys; liquefactioned cracked-driveways; closed garages; rubbish in gardens; rubbish on footpaths; Council's plastic-rubbish-bins in gardens; demolition-sites.
Alongside Avonside Dr the gravel-repaired, raised stopbank separated Avondale roads from Avon River & stopped green-zoned Avondale from flooding.
22.02.12. Red zone, green portaloo & Avon River stopbank, Avonside Dr / Alloway St
22.02.12. Red zone house, Alloway St
22.02.12. Post quake, house demolition site, Alloway St / Avondale Rd
22.02.12. Post quake, boarded house, Alloway St
Tributes that sunny day: 1 000s of flowers on orange-plastic-road-cones in red-zone areas & on other roads I passed, like River Rd & Dallington Tce: agapanthus, hydrangeas, roses, lilies, other flowers & fern leaves. Rosemary for remembrance too. Posies on power-poles honoured the dead.
22.02.12. Red zone house, Prestwick St / Avonside Dr
22.02.12. Quake trashed, red zone house, Prestwick St
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Prestwick St / Avondale Rd
22.02.12. Red zone house, Prestwick St
Recently, I'd seen plastic-flowers on orange-plastic-road-cones on Durham St Sth when Restart Cashel Mall was opened. I'd also seen tinsel on orange-plastic-road-cones at Parklands during the Xmas Quake Swarm.
22.02.12. Quake tilted, power poles, Avonside Dr / Woolley St. Avon River raised stopbank, red zone Locksley Ave behind
22.02.12. Post quake, blue, sucker truck, Woolley St
Woolley St: A blue sucker-truck drifted by touting: "Drilling Waste Removal, Cesspit, Pond & Septic Cleaning." For years post- quakes, we saw sucker-trucks roaming Christchurch's bumpy roads, causing more damage to ruined-roads.
22.02.12. Quake trashed, red zone house, Woolley St
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cone, Woolley St
22.02.12. Rubbish bins. Red zone, house demolition site, Woolley St
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cone, by quake damaged house, Woolley St
22.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Avondale Rd
22.02.12. Quake abandoned tricycle, Woolley St
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned house, Woolley St
CERA Landcheck website, Avondale zoning:
Alloway St: 43 red-zone.
Prestwick St: 31 red-zone.
Woolley St: 25 red-zone, 31 green-zone.
Sharlick St: 24 red-zone.
Edna St: 24 red-zone.
Niven St: 23 red-zone, 33 green-zone.
Breezes Rd: 27 red-zone, 62 green-zone.
Pembroke St: 11 red-zone, 39 green-zone.
Several Avondale streets were entirely red-zoned near Avon River. Where some streets were part red-zoned, part green-zoned, the green-zoned houses were further away from Avon River & its liquefaction. According to CERA & engineering firm Tonkin & Taylor, red-zoners must leave home as infrastructure was too expensive to replace.
Over the next couple of years, most red-zone ruined-houses I passed would be demolished by CERA. Pity nearby green-zoners enduring dusty, grimy, demolition-sites & dirty air in the newly formed wastelands in CERA's red-zone which allowed gawkers, vagrants, vandals, thieves, arsonists & taggers to harass.
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cone, Sharlick St / Avonside Dr. Avon River, raised stopbank, red zone Locksley Ave behind
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones. Green, plastic, sewage tank, Avonside Dr. Avon River, raised stopbank left
22.02.12. Quake junk, house demolition site, Sharlick St
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers on orange, plastic, road cones, Sharlick St
22.02.12. Post quake, black, plastic, sewage tank, blue tarp tent, Sharlick St
Sharlick St: I saw someone living in a blue-tarp-tent in their front-garden. Although Council & NZ National government / CERA were in denial about the post-quake housing crisis, exacerbated by red-zoning, there were tents, caravans, camper-vans, car-sleepers, beach-sleepers, bench-sleepers in Christchurch for anyone to see. As for NZ Labour opposition there was hardly a cheep about the post-quake housing crisis.
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned house, Sharlick St
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned motorbike, Sharlick St
All properties I passed close to Avon River were red-zoned. Further away from Avon River properties were green-zoned. While snapping, I trekked all the shorter streets between Avonside Dr & Avondale Rd. I trekked short bits of Breezes Rd & Pembroke St & when it was obvious properties were green-zoned (neat gardens, cut grass, parked cars, twitching curtains) I returned to my car near Avonside Dr.
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flower in orange, plastic, road cone, Avonside Dr / Edna St
22.02.12. Quake trashed, red zone house, Edna St. Blue water pipe on pavement
22.02.12. Red zone, house demolition site, Edna St
Edna St, A board Hazard-sign:
NOTICE
THIS IS A MULTIPLE
HAZARD AREA
PERSONS ENTERING THIS PROPERTY
MUST COMPLY WITH ALL SAFETY
REGULATIONS UNDER THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN
EMPLOYMENT ACT 1992
AND ITS AMENDMENTS
DO NOT ENTER
WITHOUT PERMISSION AND
NOTIFICATION OF THE
HAZARDS WITHIN
I saw several such Hazard-signs in Avondale.
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned house, Edna St
Like other red-zones I'd trekked, the area was slummy & derelict: ruined-houses, overgrown-gardens. Patched-roads were cleared of quakemire, but footpaths & driveways were still muddy. Portaloos & green-plastic-sewage-tanks or black-plastic-sewage-tanks were still on road-verges a year post 22 February 2011 Quake. Two sucker-trucks roamed, clearing drains.
22.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordoned, red zone house, Niven St / Avonside Dr. Avon River raised stopbank behind
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cone, Niven St
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned house, Niven St
22.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, by road works, Niven St / Avondale Rd
Some red-zone houses were still inhabited. Others appeared to be inhabited: mowed-lawns. I saw three gardening-businesses mowing lawns & verges, hoping to foil thieves, vagrants & hooligans.
22.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Quake anniversary flower in orange, plastic, road cone, Breezes Rd
22.02.12. Post quake, house demolition site, red zone, Breezes Rd
22.02.12. Wood braced, garden wall, red zone, Breezes Rd
22.02.12. Post quake, green, plastic, sewage tank, abandoned, red zone housing, Breezes Rd
Avondale Rd: Several detours, as road workers did repairs.
Avondale Rd / Breezes Rd junction: Liquefactioned-shops were all closed. ROAD CLOSED signs & orange-plastic-road-cone-cordons were abundant. Workmen wearing orange hard-hats & orange Hi-Vis vests fixed Breezes Rd. A SCIRT sign: REBUILDING THE CITYS'S ROADS AND UNDERGROUND PIPES
Breezes Rd / Avonside Dr junction: Grey skies.
22.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, red zone, Breezes Rd
22.02.12. Red zone, abandoned house, Breezes Rd
22.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Quake trashed, liquefactioned, closed shops, Breezes Rd / Avondale Rd junction
22.02.12. Post quake road works, Breezes Rd / Avondale Rd
Remembrance: At 12.51pm, 22 February 2011 Quake time, I snapped road-signs at Avonside Dr / Breezes Rd. Canada geese flew in V formation high above.
A year prior Avondale houses were inhabited. Now there were ruined-houses, demolition-sites & weedy-gardens. Most Avondale houses near Avon River would be demolished. Once people left, nature flourished: lush plant growth, tall weeds, long grass.
22.02.12. Quake anniversary, Canada geese, V formation flying over Avon River, Breezes Rd / Avonside Dr
22.02.12. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Avonside Dr. Avon River raised stopbank, red zone Locksley Ave behind
22.02.12. Quake trashed, abandoned house, Pembroke St / Avonside Dr. Blue water pipe on pavement
22.02.12. Post quake, liquefactioned junk, red zone, Pembroke St
22.02.12. Quake trashed house, Pembroke St
22.02.12. Post quake, abandoned house, Pembroke St. 30 km/h speed limit, to stop traffic shaking houses to bits
22.02.12. ROAD CLOSED. Quake anniversary flowers in orange, plastic, road cones, Pembroke St
*Ttekked Avonside Dr, Dallington Tce, Locksley Ave, Alloway St, Prestwick St, Woolley St, Sharlick St, Edna St, Niven St, Breezes Rd, Pembroke St. 214 images.
23.02.12. M4.1 quake, 5.21am, 15km depth, 20km NE of Christchurch (GeoNet). Pegasus Bay faults rumbled again.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See New Zealand stops to remember (The Press / Stuff Co).
Responded to a UK email inquiring about a demolished house in Papanui Rd.
ReplyDeleteJust spied this post. Very weird seeing the family home on someone elses blog! They only moved out on 15 October last year :) I photographed it again last month 24th when i was down for my grandson's 2nd birthday..it had the demolition sign up... i guess it's gone now!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/porkynz/sets/72157632840307245/
Great coverage as usual! So many of those houses are gone...they're getting on with business!