We'd endured quake leeches: money sucking contractors; sewage & water pipe layers & cleaners; linesmen; telecom technicians; architects; engineers; designers; demolishers; developers; builders; bureaucrats like Council, CERA, EQC; insurers; geotech engineers & structural engineers, including their slow reports.
We endured do-gooders: USAR / TF teams from around the globe; local RT teams; social workers; Aussie cops; rubbernecking, tourist cops from elsewhere in NZ; NZDF soldiers; media; psychologists; academic researchers; councillors; heritage hailers; photo op celebrities, like movie stars, Prince William, priests, politicians.
Sat 11.02.12. Evening TV news: Part of Merivale Mall, Papanui Rd, was closed due to a dangerous, quake prone bldg (weak design) 20 shops closed. Mall owners only became quake savvy after 1 000s of citizens had used the mall for months during quakes & slow engineers had made a negative safety report, after post quake revision of the bldg code.
Although nearby bldgs were quake trashed, demolished, shipping container "shop windows" on a next door demolition site & a rebuild in progress across Papanui Rd, it took Merivale Mall owners 17 months to wake up to safety issues. Why did Merivale Mall owners, Council, CERA, engineer inspectors take so long sorting out citizens' safety in Merivale Mall?
Like recent closure of Northlands Mall carpark, Langdons Rd, after public used the carpark for months during quakes, myself included; public library closures at Bishopdale & Fendalton, after public used the libraries for months during quakes, myself included; slow Merivale Mall closure didn't say much for engineers' safety checks. Was Council & CERA covering ass, scared of legal actions by citizens injured in more quakes?
Never mind Leah & I being caught in the "new" Peterborough St library, during 4 life threatening quakes on 23.12.11, first 8 minutes of the Xmas Quake Swarm.
We'd used Merivale Mall, nearby McDonald's, other shops for months during quakes. We knew how to save ourselves during dangerous quakes, but we couldn't save ourselves from greed & stupidity of non savvy mall owners & non savvy engineers. Given engineers' slackness & buck passing at the Royal Commission of Inquiry, I didn't trust engineers & their inspection reports.
15.02.12. Quake damaged apartments, Park Tce / Devon St, former CBD red zone. The apartments would be demolished
Valentines Day, Tues 14.02.12. CERA's demolitions boss, Warwick Isaacs commented on TV about the belated demolition of modern Terrace on the Park flats, as slow engineers had belatedly found it was in danger of collapse. Terrace on the Park ghost had rotted for months behind a steel mesh fence cordon during quakes. Isaacs boasted about the spring and summer of demolitions, while wearing an orange, Hi-Vis jacket with CERA label. Isaacs needed to complete red zone, CBD demolitions pronto, as public was already banned from the CBD for a year. Isaacs also needed to get on with 1 000s of red zone, residential demolitions in the suburbs.
15.02.12. Red, plastic tape cordon. Quake damaged house, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
Wed 15.02.12. Park Tce: I'd often driven past steel mesh fence cordoned, Terrace on the Park ghost during quake months & had parked my car on Salisbury St across the road from Terrace on the Park, several times during quake months. Why hadn't inspection engineers, Council & CERA hung their EXTREME DANGER threat signs on those steel mesh fence cordons? The multi-storey facade had several XL cracks for any passerby to see.
One afternoon post 23.12.11 Xmas Quake Swarm, I'd directed a tourist, looking for a food shop, to the Victoria St greengrocer, past Terrace on the Park ghost. There were few operating food shops in that ravaged CBD area.
15.02.12. Rubberneckers, Terrace on the Park demolition, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
15.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger demolition, Terrace on the Park bldg, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
Another afternoon post Xmas Quake Swarm, Leah & I'd stood by the steel mesh fence cordon viewing Terrace on the Park ground floor flats. It annoyed me that non savvy engineers, Council & CERA suddenly found those bldgs were dangerous, more than 6 weeks post Xmas Quake Swarm!
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger demolition, Terrace on the Park bldg, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
15.02.12. I joined rubberneckers gathered on Park Tce by Avon River bank, watching Terrace on the Park demolition. Fletcher signs hung on the steel mesh fence cordon. Snapped a yellow digger smashing flats, a workman hosing dust. Another post quake demolition. We'd seen many.
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger demolition, Terrace on the Park bldg, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
Media hype about the demolition was CERA's diversion from slow land zoning by Tonkin & Taylor geotech engineers. TC3 green zone, red zone, orange zone citizens still lived in Third World squalor, while demolition boss Isaacs posed for TV cameras.
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger demolition, Terrace on the Park bldg, former CBD rd zone
15.02.12. Rubberneckers, Terrace on the Park demolition, Park Tce, former CBD red zone
Returned to my car on Carlton Mill Rd, then snapped 5 ghost houses on nearby Tonbridge St: The houses had familiar damages & part repairs: collapsed bricks walls, concrete brick rubble on pavements, wood propped walls, boarded walls, tarped roofs, gaping "dolls house" rooms, exposed to weather, steel mesh fence cordons.
15.02.12. Quake damaged house, Tonbridge St, Christchurch
Papanui Rd: Snapped new shipping container shops, incl Cafe Metro, on a house demolition site, Merivale Ln. While customers sipped latte & nibbled muffins at Cafe Metro, demolishers flattened nearby St Mary's Church ghost.
15.02.12. Post quake, shipping container, Cafe Metro on a house demolition site, Merivale Ln / Papanui Rd
Church Ln: Snapped St Mary's demolition site: Church hall ghost still stood, the church, a rubble heap. Wooden roof stood on the ground. Two workmen wearing yellow, hard hats & orange, Hi-Vis vests tinkered with the exposed church organ, orange tarped. Savvy parishioners wanted the organ saved. Steel mesh fence cordon sign:
Change of Worship Venue
St Mary's Services
8am at 35 Church Lane
10am at 467 Wairakei Rd
Parish phone:...
Watch this space for
developments
After damages & demolitions, some Christchurch churches shared venues with other churches, or relocated services.
2018. Papanui Rd / Church Ln: New All Souls Church would open on St Mary's demo site.
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Post quake, St Mary's Church Hall, Papanui Rd / Church Ln
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. St Mary's demolition site & church organ, Church Ln
Rugby St: Where Jake flatted pre-quakes, his wooden flat survived the quakes. But nearby Chinese Methodist Church ghost, hall demolished, rotted by the decapitated church spire, in the overgrown churchyard. Brick church ghost, abandoned for months behind a steel mesh fence cordon. Church would be demolished, 2013, rebuilt, 2014.
15.02.12. Quake survivor, wooden rental flat, Rugby St, Christchurch
15.02.12. Quake damaged, 2 storey, wooden house, Rugby St, Christchurch
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Serial quake trashed, Chinese Methodist Church, Rugby St / Papanui Rd, Church hall demolition site left. The church would be demolished, 2013, rebuilt, 2014
Papanui Rd, Merivale Mall: By a steel mesh fence cordon between shops in the mall, a young security man stopped me snapping pics. I said: "You're the first person telling me in 17 months of quakes I can't snap buildings. It's not illegal to snap buildings." What were Merivale Mall owners hiding, employing a security man bullshitting public? Like at other malls, I thought the electrically operated, glass, sliding, front doors were death traps, as the first malfunction in a big quake was power supply.
15.02.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Shops rebuild on quake demolition site, Papanui Rd, opp Merivale Mall
15.02.12. Shipping container "shop windows" on quake demolition site, Papanui Rd, next to serial quake damaged, Merivale Mall
15.02.12. Papanui Rd entrance, serial quake damaged, Merivale Mall
I left, then entered Merivale Mall again at Aikmans Rd side & back entrances. Little trade went on in opened shops. Few shoppers in the mall, besides 3 Hi-Vis vested workmen in hard hats behind a steel mesh fence cordon, blocking central mall area by Fresh Choice supermarket entrance, below skylight windows. No security men there, I snapped pics.
15.02.12. Quake closure sign, side entrance to serial quake damaged, Merivale Mall, Aikmans Rd
Merivale Mall, door sign:
While areas of Merivale Mall are currently closed the remaining stores are open and trading in a limited capacity.
Fresh Choice is currently closed until further notice.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Merivale Management.
15.02.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Serial quake damaged, Merivale Mall, part closed, after trading for months during the 2010-2012 quakes, Papanui Rd
Mall, glass door threat sign:
CAUTION MERIVALE MALL
CARPARK SURFACE
UNEVEN
Besides Isaacs's demolition lyricism, CERA's boss, Sutton also lost the plot, after organizing bus tours in Isaacs's red zone CBD, Sutton organized movies & BBQs for the public in parks during Xmas holidays, then cajoled public to use sunscreen lotion during holidays!
Rotherham St / Riccarton Rd: Fri 17.02.12. TV announced that a 5 shops bldg was closed, due to damage. The old, masonry bldg was damaged in the 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Soon afterwards, while a cop directed a shop owner's evacuation, I'd snapped collapsed awning rubbish & fallen parapet masonry, which collapsed onto the pavement.
Why did Civil Defence (quick to demolish old bldgs on the opp side of Riccarton Rd) then CERA allow the shops to continue trading post Feb 22 Killer Quake? Why did engineers & CERA take 17 months post quakes to re-close the shops? Any rubbernecker could see the unreinforced, masonry bldg was stuffed post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake.
Jake had worked at Fox & Ferret gastro-pub, Rotherham St, so we knew the area well. Post quakes, our family no longer shopped at Riccarton Mall: crowded, creepy. We were wary of crowded bldgs, especially malls.
Meanwhile, town clerk Marryatt took a half day off playing golf; mayor Parker was in China schmoozing Chinese businesses to invest in Christchurch, while Christchurch businesses fled the CBD.
*Trekked Park Tce, Tonbridge St, Papanui Rd, Church Ln, Rugby St. 85 snaps.
Coda:
2021. Merivale Mall & nearby shops would be repaired / rebuilt & continue trading.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Five Riccarton businesses closed (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Property owners leaving town (The Press / Stuff Co).
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