By Latimer Sq, Christ Church Cathedral diocese was building an A-frame, Cardboard Cathedral on St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Madras St / Hereford St.
23.04.12. Demolition had begun on the 22.02.11 Killer Quake collapsed tower of Christ Church Cathedral. Heritage hailers tried again to Save the Cathedral from complete demolition. The Wizard raised 50 signatures to Save the Cathedral & was present when bishop Matthews consecrated St Johns demolition site, sprinkling water on the site. Two codgers jabbering in medieval garb!
Bishop Matthews contended that ratepayers must pay $240 000 p/a for use of the Cardboard Cathedral, reasoning that Cantabrians would use the Cardboard Cathedral for civic functions, as had happened pre-quakes in Christ Church Cathedral.
Matthews hadn't consulted ratepayers (many non Christians & atheists) about demolition of trashed Christ Church Cathedral, yet expected ratepayers to pay for the $5 million, A-frame, Cardboard Cathedral over its proposed 20 year life.
Post quakes, as Town Hall, theatres & other halls were abandoned or demolished in the CBD, Mathews had a point about a hall for hire, the Cardboard Cathedral. Her detractors like The Wizard hadn't come up with any other viable hall idea. Christ Church Cathedral ghost & the land on which it was built was owned by the Anglican diocese, not The Wizard nor Heritage hailers.
Nov 2013. While the Wizard whined in the CBD he showed no compassion about helping 1 000s of Cantabrians who'd lost their homes to quakes & CERA red zone offers. The Wizard would protest at recently revamped, New Regent St, opp The Press offices. He never protested in the suburbs.
27.04.12. Hereford House, demolition site by St Johns Anglican Church, demolition site, Hereford St
27.04.12. St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Blackwells Hudson & CTV bldg demolition sites & abandoned IRD bldg beyond, Cashel St
27.04.12. St Johns Anglican Church, demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Blackwells Hudson & CTV bldg demolition sites & abandoned IRD bldg beyond, Cashel St
Jap architect, Shigeru Ban gave a free plan of the Cardboard Cathedral to the diocese, enhancing his reputation. The Press pic of the proposed Cardboard Cathedral looked like giant toilet rolls, an A-frame, toilet roll roof covered in plastic, on shipping container walls, with N facing window to impress tourists. Ban's cardboard tube, plastic & container plan looked like a giant tent. That architecture heralded Christchurch CBD's rebuild, mostly steel frame & glass boxes.
Nearby St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, a flexible wooden church, Oxford Tce / Durham St Sth, survived the quakes & could easily be shared with Christ Church Cathedral congregation. (Other denominations shared churches with congregations of shattered churches). Pity bishop Matthews wasn't doing her pastoral duty, ensuring suffering ratepayers were properly housed post quakes, instead of jabbering about her house of god.
27.04.12. Quake survivor, St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, Durham St Sth / Oxford Tce
27.04.12. Quake surviving, stained glass windows, St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, Durham St Sth / Oxford Tce
Ban could put his architect's mind to providing affordable, safe housing for displaced Cantabrians. Free designs of course, in the spirit of his Cardboard Cathedral.
Fri morning 27.04.12. En route to Christchurch red zone, CBD, when I stopped my car at Greers Rd / Wairakei Rd crossing, red lights, a burst pipe near CERA minister, Brownlee's electorate office flooded Greers Rd by the shops. Workmen in orange, Hi-Vis vests scurried around, planting orange, plastic, road cones to detour traffic. Others used a blue, sucker truck to suck flood water.
Hours later, on my return from the red zone CBD, Greers Rd flood water was gone, but orange, Hi-Vis vested, City Care workmen dug a hole to replace the broken pipe. Fourteen months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, as there was flooding after a little rain in Greers Rd, Brownlee could've organized CERA minions to stop flooding in the red zone CBD & trashed E suburbs, where quakes had caused land sinking.
Nov 2013. There would be repeated news about heavy rains flooding Flockton Basin, where quakes had sunk the area about half a metre. Houses flooded after rains, householders enduring repeated post quakes flooding. Meanwhile Council, EQC, CERA, insurers dithered.
27.04.12. Post quake flooding, repairs, Greers Rd / Wairakei Rd
27.04.12. Repairs, post quake flooding, Greers Rd
Drove to Oxford Tce in the CBD to snap St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church. During quakes, the church organ was damaged, but stained glass windows were OK. The flexible wooden church stood proud, while nearby Cashel St bldgs & hundreds of nearby CBD ghosts, mostly masonry bldgs, were trashed. St Michael proved that flexible wood was good in quakes. So far, in 10 000+ quakes, our wooden house had shaken & jiggled, standing firm. Concrete, crap in quakes, as concrete shattered, cracked, spalled. Post quakes, Council & CERA allowed concrete, tilt-slab, steel & glass bldgs to be built all over Christchurch. Distinguishing structures in new bldgs were large X shaped, steel reinforcement tubes or X shaped steel girders strengthening post quake walls.
Parked at Worcester St by Latimer Sq to look at Madras St & the newly opened red zone, CBD niche, along Oxford Tce & Armagh St towards Manchester St.
St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Latimer Sq, Madras St / Hereford St: Weedy, demolition junk on site, fence cordoned view towards CTV demolition site, where 115 people died in the 22.02.11, M6.3 Killer Quake.
Shigaru Ban's Cardboard Cathedral would soften that grim view. In the red zone, opp CTV site, 5 year old IRD was abandoned, like other red zone, ghosts. 2021. IRD, quake survivor, still abandoned.
27.04.12. Worcester St, W view, Latimer Sq, red zone CBD, ghost high rises
27.04.12. Post quake, abandoned bldgs nr Latimer Sq, Worcester St
27.04.12. Post quake rebuild, Latimer Hotel, Worcester St, opp Latimer Sq
Latimer Sq: Surrounded by demolition sites & ghosts. On Worcester St, opp Latimer Sq, construction workers, wearing Hi-Vis vests & hard hats, completed Latimer Hotel rebuild's concrete foundations, more than a metre thick & raised concrete, tilt slab walls.
01.08.12. CERA would announce that its L shaped, Green Frame would be made south of Avon River between Madras St & Manchester St & between St Asaph St & Tuam St. That CERA idea was based on Council's Share an Idea scheme done post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Hundreds more demolitions would be needed in the Green Frame before grass, trees, flowers were planted in the Green Frame. CERA's plan was that the Green Frame would shrink the CBD, maintaining property values in the shrunken CBD. A NZ National govt's / CERA's fantasy, as there were 100s of survivor, CBD bldgs outside CERA's Green Frame. (Hidden agenda: Manchester St's red light strip would be destroyed in CERA demolitions.)
27.04.12. Worcester St, quake damaged bldgs, nr Latimer Sq
I trekked across deserted Latimer Sq, quake refuge & scene of sorrow & rescuer activity during the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing
27.04.12. Latimer Sq / Hereford St / Madras St junction, S view, Arrow House & CTV bldg, demolition sites to abandoned IRD bldg, Cashel St. 2019. Arrow House demo site would become Liverpool Terrace apartments. CTV demo site would become a quake memorial park. 2021. IRD bldg, quake survivor, still abandoned
27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing
Madras St: Trekked northwards towards Armagh St. Desolate demolition sites, used as carparks, both side of Madras St.
27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing & quake demolition sites both sides of Madras St. CERA's site for Residential Demonstration Project right. CERA's green, E Frame left would become the Blueprint Rauora Park. Closer to Avon River, bldgs would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground & carpark
27.04.12. Quake demolition sites, Madras St, nr Latimer Sq. CERA's green, E Frame left
27.04.12. Quake demolition sites, Madras St / Armagh St crossing. CERA's green, E Frame left. Bldgs would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground & carpark
Madras St / Armagh St: Trekked past Amicus House demolition site & the irony of quake-closed realtor bldg, bordered by quake demolition sites. Amicus House demo site would become part of E Frame / Rauora Park.
27.04.12. NO THROUGH ROUTE. Madras St, W view, deserted, red zone Armagh St. Forsyth Barr, PWC high rises beyond. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct. CERA's green, E Frame would go from Madras St to Manchester St, incl some of Armagh St. Bldgs on right, Centennial Pool, ACC, would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St. Realtor bldg awaited CERA demolition for CERA's green, E Frame / Rauora Park, which would go from Madras St to Manchester St. PWC high rise beyond awaited demolition for the new RC Cathedral precinct
Armagh St, Oxford Tce, Manchester St loop: Cut past yellow stickered, Centennial Pool ghost to autumn leafy, Oxford Tce. Trekked past ACC ghost & boarded / steel mesh fence cordoned, Charles Luneys ghost by poplar-lined Avon River to Manchester St Bridge.
On a yellow sticker, Centennial Pool's glass door, protester griffito:
SAVE ME NO WHITE
ELEPHANTS
Protesters disliked CERA demolishing repairable, Centennial Pool for the Margaret Mahy Family Playground in CERA's green, E Frame. Luneys & ACC ghosts would be demolished for the playground too. NZ National govt / CERA top-down decisions, ignoring citizen citizens' needs!
27.04.12. Faux pissoir, unused since 22.02.11 quake, red zone, Armagh St, by Centennial Pool
27.04.12. Quake trashed, Centennial Pool, red zone, between Armagh St & Oxford Tce, Centennial Pool would be demolished for the Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, Centennial Pool garden. It would become part of Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, Avon River, Cambridge Tce, quake damaged Madras St Bridge
27.04.12. Red zone, Centennial Pool board, Oxford Tce
27.04.12. Red zone, quake damaged, abandoned ACC bldg, Oxford Tce. ACC would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, quake damaged / closed Bohemian Cafe Bar, Oxford Tce. Bohemian Bar would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, abandoned, Charles Luneys bldg, Oxford Tce / Manchester St. Luneys would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, quake damaged, Manchester St Bridge
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake buckled pavement, Manchester St Bridge cordon view, red zone, NZDF checkpoint, cnr Cambridge Tce
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, red zone, cordon view, Retour Restaurant (Edmonds Band Rotunda) awaiting demolition, in CBD red zone, Cambridge Tce. Retour Restaurant dome would be plastic wrapped, abandoned on Avon River bank for years. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda would be rebuilt. Ernst & Young behind would be demolished
Manchester St Bridge & Manchester St: Views into the red zone, ghost CBD. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel loomed above Forsyth Barr & PWC high-rises, the former would be restored to Crowne Plaza Hotel, the latter awaited demolition.
The long standing, red zone, NZDF checkpoint still occupied Cambridge Tce side, but the red zone, steel mesh fence cordon occupied only half of Manchester St Bridge, lengthwise along the span. Retour Restaurant (Edmonds Band Rotunda) & Ernst & Young, Cambridge Tce, awaited demolition. Retour restaurant dome would be white plastic wrapped, abandoned on Avon River bank for years. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda would be rebuilt.
27.04.12. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce / Manchester St Bridge, NZDF checkpoint view, CBD red zone. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel high rise was restored
27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St / Cambridge Tce crossing, red zone, NZDF checkpoint view, quake-closed high rises in CBD red zone. BNZ & PWC middle would be demolished. The new RC Cathedral precinct would be build on the PWC demo site opp Victoria Sq.
NZDF checkpoint soldier, wearing an orange, Hi-Vis vest, checked vehicles in & out of the red zone, via Manchester St, across Manchester St Bridge & Cambridge Tce, past the Retour Restaurant & PGC demolition site, where 18 people died in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
NZDF checkpoint sign:
AUTHORISED
VEHICLES
CONTRACTOR
ENTRANCE
Threat sign:
EXTREME
DANGER
KEEP
OUT
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce crossing, NZDF checkpoint view, PGC bldg, demolition site. 18 people died when PGC bldg collapsed, 22.02.11 quake. Ernst & Young behind would be demolished
Eastern span of Manchester St Bridge: quakes had shifted the concrete span centimetres westwards, anti-clockwise. In Avon River bridges, damage involved shifting of concrete spans, clockwise or anti-clockwise, spalling, buckling, separations, later disguised by asphalt patching, between bridge spans & abutments.
27.04.12. Manchester St Bridge, Avon River downriver view, poplars. Cambridge Tce left, Oxford Tce right
27.04.12. Manchester St Bridge pavement, 22.02.11 quake buckled above abutment & span join. Oxford Tce beyond
Trekked along Manchester St by Charles Luneys ghost, razor wire above a boarded door in Armagh St, to Manchester St / Armagh St crossing. Red zone, Bob Brown's Hi Fi, cnr ghost: broken window panes, curtains fluttered through window gaps & cracked walls. At the back cnr of Bob Brown's Hi Fi, Armagh St side, steel rebars at a column base were exposed, where masonry had fallen off. Verkerks butchery, across Manchester St, would be demolished. Over the years we'd bought Verkerks meat. (Post quakes, we would buy meat at Verkerks factory, Vagues Rd). Bob Brown's Hi Fi & Charles Luney ghosts would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground.
28.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, S view, red zone, Manchester St / Oxford Tce crossing. Red zone, closed, Charles Luneys bldg left, quake-closed Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel & Novotel in red zone beyond. Both hotels were restored. Luneys left would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground in CERA's green, E Frame
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, SW view, red zone, CBD abandoned bldgs
27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, orange plastic mesh cordon. Manchester St / Armagh St, E view, red zone, Armagh St. Charles Luneys left, Orion utility right. Charles Luneys would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Orion bldg would survive the quakes
27.04.12. Red zone, fence cordoned, razor wired, boarded, quake-damaged, Charles Luneys bldg, Manchester St / Armagh St, was demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St, E view, quake-closed, Charles Luneys bldg left, abandoned ACC bldg right, both demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St, W view, red zone, CBD abandoned bldgs. Verkerks left would be demolished. Forsyth Barr middle would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.
27.04.12. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, boarded, quake-closed, Verkerks Butchery, Armagh St / Manchester St. Verkerks would be demolished
27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St / Manchester St crossing, S view, red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, quake-closed, CBD bldgs
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, Bob Brown's Hi Fi bldg, red zone, Armagh St / Manchester St. Bob Brown's Hi Fi would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St bldgs: Orion utility left survived the quakes. Quake trashed, Bob Brown's Hi Fi middle would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Forsyth Barr beyond would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel
Armagh St to Madras St crossing: Orion utility still did business & would survive the quakes. A guard in blue uniform stood at the back gate. During quakes, Orion linesmen reconnected & kept power going. During quakes & post quakes, great work was also done by sewer men, telecom workers, water men, road workers keeping services going.
Orion bldg, wall plaque celebrating a neon mural:
"Paul Hartigan
Nebula 2001
Neon & mercury-argon tubing on painted aluminium with programmed animation sequence. Commissioned by Orion New Zealand Limited. Officially opened on Monday 19 November 2001..."
27.04.12. Red zone, quake survivor, Orion utility, neon & aluminium mural, Armagh St
27.04.12. Red zone, red oak leaves, Orion aluminium, pavement cover, Armagh St
27.04.12. Red zone, 4 grey portaloos, back of Orion utility, Armagh St
27.04.12. Quake fallen sign, tyres workshop, red zone, Armagh St
27.04.12. Back of quake trashed, Centennial Pool, red zone, Armagh St. Centennial Pool would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground
Armagh St / Madras St: Flood puddle by Amicus House demolition site, an Orion electricity, green metal box buzzing in foul water. Pedestrians wandered by. Diagonally opp, in an empty Wilson carpark, water still flooded from a burst well near Crighton B & B. The well flooded Madras St ever since Feb 22 Killer Quake. Was flooding caused by an underground stream connected to nearby Avon River? Council & CERA wanted to rebuild on trashed CBD sites. Swampland. That flooding would be included in CERA's Blueprint E Frame.
Trekked over demolition wasteland, Madras St back to Latimer Sq.
27.04.12. Quake buckled, paving stones by abandoned realtor bldg, red zone, Armagh St. Realtor would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Armagh St, S view, quake trashed, abandoned, red zone bldgs, Gloucester St. Latimer Sq trees left. The bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Red zone, Amicus House demolition site, post quake flooding, Armagh St / Madras St. Wilson carpark on demolition site beyond. The flooding would be in CERA's Green E Frame & Wilson carpark would become CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project. (Never happened). A taste of CERA's / Council's Nov 2013 proposals for high density living dotted around Christchurch
27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St / Madras St crossing, W view, Forsyth Barr left in red zone, CBD. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.
27.04.12. Red zone, Amicus House demolition site, post quake flooding, Madras St / Armagh St. Forsyth Barr middle beyond would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC beyond right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq. Realtor bldg middle left would be demolished & Amicus House demo site would enable CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. No cars in red zone Madras St. Gloucester St & Latimer Sq beyond
27.04.12. Madras St, weedy demolition site, W view, red zone, quake-closed, CBD bldgs. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel beyond was restored. Foreground bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St, demolition site, SW view, quake trashed, abandoned, red zone bldgs, Gloucester St. The 2 high rises would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St, demolition site view, red zone, abandoned bldgs. Left bldgs would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park. Forsyth Barr middle would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC middle right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.
Madras St / Gloucester St: Silver, Smith crane parked, boom lowered, on Securities House demolition site.
Across Madras St, empty carparks on demolition sites, Charlie B's Backpackers gone. The demolition sites would become CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project. (Never happened). Future: Nov 2013 CERA & Council would propose high-density housing, 30-65 dwellings per hectare, to be dotted around Christchurch.
27.04.12. Red zone, silver, Smith crane, Securities House demolition site, Madras St / Gloucester St. The bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Madras St, quake demolition sites, nr Latimer Sq. Charley B's Backpackers gone. CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project site. (Never happened)
27.04.12. Patched Gloucester St / Madras St, W view, red zone CBD. Quake-closed, Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel beyond. Latimer Sq tree left. CERA's green E Frame would go from Latimer Sq to Manchester St just before Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel. All bldgs up to Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq W view, red zone, quake-closed Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel. Pacific Tower would be restored. Bldgs below would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park
27.04.12. Latimer Sq S view, Hereford St / Madras St junction. Bldgs in the pic would be demolished for post quake developments, like Liverpool Terrace apartments
Saturday afternoon 28.04.12. Did my Madras St trek with Leah: She was disorientated by red zone, steel mesh fence cordons & missing bldgs around Latimer Sq & northwards along Madras St. Near Centennial Pool, we looped along Oxford Tce by autumn leafy Avon River, past The Poplars demolition site, past Oxford Tce Baptist Church, demolition site, with its 185 Empty Chairs memorial, remembering 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
28.04.12. Post quake, braced, Edmonds Clock Tower, nr Madras St Bridge. The clock stopped at 12.51 pm when the 22.02.11 quake struck. Edmonds Clock Tower would be decapitated for repairs
Edmonds Clock Tower, steel mesh fence cordoned, scaffolded, nylon strapped, steel & concrete block braced. Clock stopped at 12.51pm when 22.02.11 Killer Quake struck. Gargoyles, plastic-wrapped, taped. FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY inscribed on Clock Tower. CERA would turn the area into Blueprint E Frame. Edmonds Clock Tower would be decapitated for repairs.
Crossed Madras St Bridge, quake damages between spans & abutments. Kicking autumn leaves, we trekked past Cambridge Tce ghosts.
28.04.12. Post quakes, Madras St Bridge, upriver view, Avon River poplars. Oxford Tce left, Cambridge Tce right
Snapped steel mesh fence cordoned, Theosophy ghost, deteriorated during quakes. By Avon River bank, Leah stuck her leg about half a metre into a leafy crack between road & curb. Quakes had pulled concrete curbs from road asphalt all over Christchurch, leaving long, dangerous cracks.
28.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Serial quake trashed, cordoned, Theosophy bldg, Cambridge Tce. Theosophy bldg would be demolished
28.04.12. Quake junk, Cambridge Tce
28.04.12. Quake crack between road & curb by Avon River, Cambridge Tce, E view. Quake trashed Theosophy bldg left would be demolished
28.04.12. Quake crack between road & curb by Avon River, Cambridge Tce. W view to Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint
Quakes & CERA red zone cordons strangled CBD bldgs on both Avon River banks. As riverside bldgs looked dangerous, despite quakemire removal & touch ups, most of those riverside ghosts would be demolished. Would bldg owners & entrepreneurs go back to that NE part of Christchurch CBD.
Joy of trekking Madras St environs that weekend, there were more pedestrians than cars. But contractor vehicles & heavy-duty, demolition & construction vehicles had hammered citizen-forbidden, red zone CBD for months.
*Trekked Greers Rd, Hereford St, Durham St Sth, Worcester St, Latimer Sq, Madras St, Armagh St, Oxford Tce, Cambridge Tce, Manchester St. 146 images.
Sun 29.04.12. Madras St tranquility for pedestrians & cyclists only lasted 2 days. On Sunday, southern Madras St beyond Latimer Sq to Tuam St was reopened, after 14 months of demolitions post 22.02.11 Killer Quake.
Coda:
Jan 2013. It would be 28 months before NZDF occupation of Christchurch CBD by CERA stopped. NZ National occupied the CBD by means of cordons, closed bldgs, demolitions, NZDF checkpoints for 28 months. Citizens banned. That enabled NZ National govt / CERA to cherry-pick CERA proclaimed, red zone land with taxpayers' money for its Blueprint projects & precincts.
Thus NZ National govt / CERA would use State of Emergency powers, red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, military checkpoints, compliant contractors to completely change E side of Christchurch CBD. By late 2015, NZ National govt's / CERA's "rebuild" would morph to "regeneration" with the advent of Margaret Mahy Family Playground & E Frame / Rauora Park on vast demolition sites between Madras Street & Manchester St.
Content & pics copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See CERA shadow over cathedral (The Press / Stuff Co).
See CERA documents on Christchurch Cathedral.
See Flockton Cluster beg council for flood aid (The Press / Stuff Co).
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