Madras St countdown, a mural showed two workmen joking:
Workman 1: "Is my crack showing?"
Workman 2: "Don't be silly!"
03.04.12. Mural near countdown, Madras St
There were many cracks in Christchurch: physical, social, emotional, mental, Council's & CERA's muddling.
Thursday afternoon, 03.04.12. I was curious to see Poplar St which was between Lichfield St & Tuam St & running parallel to Madras St. Pre-quakes, Jake had flatted at Poplar Mews, Poplar St. Post 4 September 2010 Quake, Poplar St was intact & I'd snapped pubs & boutique shops there. They were all gone since, demolished by CERA.
01.08.12. CERA would announce that an L shaped Green-Frame would be made south of Avon River between Madras St & Manchester St & between St Asaph St & Tuam St. It would be CERA's scheme based on Council's Share an Idea scheme done post 22 February 2011 Quake. Many more demolitions would needed to be done before trees, shrubs & grass could be planted in the Green-Frame.
Madras St would be the crack between CERA's Green-Frame westards & CERA's proposed 35 000 seater, roofed stadium east of Madras St. Poplar St would be close to CERA's proposed East-Frame & stadium. East across Madras St, a huge block between Tuam St & Hereford St to St Pauls demolition-site, CERA's Blueprint would propose a 35 000 seater, roofed stadium. The proposed stadium site would extend from Madras St eastwards to Barbadoes St, including Turners & Growers site. With its Blueprinted roofed-stadium, CERA would pressurise Council to demolish damaged, AMI stadium before AMI stadium insurance claim was resolved! (AMI Stadium would be demolished, 2018-19).
Council's building assets claims would only be resolved in December 2015 with a puny payout of $635 million. So much for mayor Parker's & town clerk Marryatt's insurance of Council assets!
03.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Post quake demolition site, Victoria St
I drove Victoria St past Christchurch Casino to snap demolition-rubble, all that was left of Crowne Plaza Hotel. Two tourists stared into the red-zone-CBD near a Council tourist map board on the steel-mesh-fence-cordon. Those board maps hung at points along red-zone-CBD cordon-fences. A natty, little, plastic-box enabled tourists to take a little tourist map of the red-zone-CBD.
Council's tourist map board stated:
WELCOME TO CHRISTCHURCH
CITY CENTRE MAP
Due to earthquake damage, parts of the Central City
remain cordoned off from public access.
These cordoned areas will reopen in stages during 2012
as remedial work is completed.
To help you find your way around our city during its
rebuild, pick up a free mini-map from the i-SITE Visitor
Centre, Rolleston Avenue (beside Canterbury Museum)...
03.04.12. Victoria St view of red zone, steel mesh cordon, before Crowne Plaza Hotel demolition site, Kilmore St / Durham St. Quake trashed Town Hall left. Abandoned PWC & Forsyth Barr high rises behind. PWC left would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct. Forsyth Barr right would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, CBD cordon map, Crowne Plaza Hotel demolition site, Kilmore St / Durham St. The demolition site would be CERA Blueprinted, Maori Cultural Centre
CERA & Council still banned citizens in the red-zone-CBD 15 months post 22 February 2011 Quake. Council was fixated on fixing the CBD & CERA occupied the red-zone-CBD at huge expense to citizens: CERA slowly demolished buildings, instead of kicking slow insurers' & reinsurers' greedy arses & sorting out eastern suburban living conditions for those displaced from their homes by quakes & CERA's residential-red-zone offers.
While CERA fiddled with CBD-demolitions & Council fiddled with consents for rebuilds to replace Council buildings, quake-displaced people endured Third World conditions, dossing in garages, cars & tents. (20 months later in 2013 some people still existed in garages. CERA's recovery?. Weekend Press 30 November - 1 December).
The rent-crisis was due to housing shortage & exorbitant rents by greedy landlords & rental agents' fees, unaffordable for those still paying mortgages & rates on ruined-houses. Or unaffordable for those on low incomes, like the unemployed or single parents.
I drove Peterborough St & snapped more rubble, once the Convention Centre. Council wanted to rebuild a new Convention Centre, paid for by ratepayers with a proposed 7.5% rates increase. Council's other projects: ruined AMI Stadium, ruined Centennial Pool, ruined Town Hall, ruined Christ Church Cathedral... Later on, NZ National government would Blueprint a new Convention Centre / Te Pae, paid for by taxpayers. AMI Stadium would be demolished & replaced by a new stadium mentioned above between Madras St & Barbadoes St. Centennial Pool would be demolished for the new Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Town Hall would be refurbished. Farcically, Christ Church Cathedral would stay unrepaired for years.
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Convention Centre demolition site, Peterborough St. Abandoned Town Hall behind would be repaired
I parked on Armagh St near Madras St north & trekked across demolition-sites to Latimer Sq.
Madras St south was not pretty, just demolition-sites & ruins awaiting demolitions.
Latimer Sq, Hereford St / Madras St south: St Johns Anglican Church demolition-site, where the Anglican church would build a Cardboard Cathedral, Jap architect Shigaru Ban, to last 20 years while ruined Christ Church Cathedral deteriorated.
A St Johns board:
New Venues
8.30am - 236 Hereford St
Next door to the church office / Vicarage
St Johns 10.00am - St Margarets
Latimer Square Family service with kids programme
12 Winchester St, Merivale
7pm - St Saviour's Church
200 Colombo St, Sydenham
03.04.12. Latimer Sq view, St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Port Hills behind. The demolition site beyond St Johns would be CERA's proposed 35 000 seater, roofed stadium site
03.04.12. Madras St & St Johns demolition site view: demolition sites, large block between Hereford St & Cashel St. Cashel St survivor bldgs beyond. Demolition sites would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium site
Madras St, Arrow House demolition-site was opposite St Johns demolition-site. 2019. Arrow house demolition-site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments.
03.04.12. Latimer Sq, red zone view, Arrow House demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. CTV bldg demolition site behind would become a memorial park. Abandoned IRD bldg would survive the quakes. 2021. IRD bldg still abandoned. 2019. Arrow House demolition site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments
03.04.12. Arrow House demolition site, Madras St / Hereford St. Les Mills gym, quake survivor behind. 2019. Arrow House demo site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments
Madras St / Cashel St crossing, all four corners were kaput: Hudson Blackwells demolition-site; St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church demolition-site; abandoned, multi-storey IRD; CTV demolition-site where 115 people died when CTV collapsed & burned in the 22 February 2011 Quake. I passed floral-tributes on steel-mesh-fence-cordons by the CTV site & passed orange-plastic-bollards by abandoned IRD. CTV demolition-site would become a memorial park. IRD would survive the quakes, 2021 still abandoned.
Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church, a demolition-site blackboard:
Sometimes even
friends don't
understand
03.04.12. Flower tributes, red zone, steel mesh fence cordon, CTV bldg, demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St. IRD left, Les Mills gym right, both would survive the quakes
03.04.12. Dead flowers, CTV bldg, demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St. CTV demo site would become a memorial park. Les Mills gym behind survived the quakes
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Dead flowers, CTV bldg, demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St. NW view to Hereford St, demolition sites & red zone, CBD high rises. Newstalk ZB high rise right would be imploded, 05.08.12
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, tributes to 115 dead, CTV bldg demolition site, Cashel St / Madras St. CTV demo site would become a memorial park
03.04.12. Cashel St / Madras St view, red zone, quake closed high rises: Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel left. Newstalk ZB (Radio Network House) right, would be imploded, 05.08.12
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Cashel St, W view, abandoned, CBD bldgs. Holiday Inn by yellow crane, awaited demolition
03.04.12. Holden Blackwells, demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St. The demolition site would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium site
03.04.12. St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church, demolition site, Cashel St / Madras St. It would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium site
03.04.12. Abandoned IRD bldg view, white / orange, plastic bollards, steel mesh fence cordon, Madras St / Cashel St. Holden Blackwells demolition site beyond
03.04.12. Quake closed, yellow stickered bldg, Madras St, opp Bedford Row. UK USAR / TF graffiti - CLEAR meant no bodies
Bedford Row: Gloomy behind abandoned IRD. Old brick stable, gone, just loose stones & two pallets of plastic-wrapped stones left on the shingled demolition-site near a tatty brick-building. An-old Victorian mural-advert was painted in black letters on faded white backgrounds, exposed after years hidden behind the stable:
MORROW
BASSET
& Co.
McCORMICK
REAPERS &
BINDERS.
The brick-building and mural-adverts would be demolished for new apartments (without garages) on Bedford Row, behind IRD. Bedford Row would be shortened, enabling East-Frame / Rauora Park.
03.04.12. Red zone, Victorian wall ad, old stable demolition site, Madras St / Bedford Row. Red zone, abandoned Holiday Inn awaited demolition beyond
03.04.12. Old stable, demolition site, Madras St, between Bedford Row & Lichfield St
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, NZDF checkpoint, Victorian wall ad, old stable demolition site, Madras St / Lichfield St
Across Madras St, a rusty corrugated-iron shed & another demolition-site continuing to Lichfield St corner. On the opposite corner, a ramshackle building, walls peeled off, part-demolished. That ruin would teeter for years beside restored NG Gallery: a ploy by CERA to get NG Gallery owners to leave, enabling CERA's Blueprint stadium. (See below).
03.04.12. Abandoned bldgs, demolition site, Madras St / Lichfield St. The area would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium
03.04.12. Part demolished bldg, Madras St / Lichfield St. The site would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium
Lichfield St: An NZDF-checkpoint by the red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon which controlled contractor access / egress to the red-zone & banned citizens who'd been banned from the red-zone-CBD for 15 months, so far, since the 22 February Quake.
03.04.12. WARNING NO PUBLIC ACCESS BEYOND THIS POINT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, NZDF checkpoint, Madras St / Lichfield St
Threat-signs banning citizens at the NZDF-checkpoint:
EXIT POINT
HOURS OF OPERATION
... DAILY
OUTSIDE OF THIS TIME USE
MANCHESTER ST / CAMBRIDGE TCE
EXIT POINT
WARNING
NO PUBLIC ACCESS
BEYOND THIS POINT
NO
PUBLIC
ACCESS
PAST THIS POINT
CERA PASSES ONLY
03.04.12. NO PUBLIC ACCESS. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. NZDF red zone checkpoint, guarding abandoned CBD, Madras St / Lichfield St. Green, plastic, sewage tank right
03.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cone cordon. Red zone, Madras St / Lichfield St, NZDF checkpoint view, quake trashed blgs & car on Poplar St cnr, by a demolition site. Most of the bldgs would be demolished
03.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, NZDF checkpoint, Madras St / Lichfield St. Grey portaloo, wooden checkpoint hut left. Truck wash right
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, apex car hire, demolition site by NZDF checkpoint, Madras St / Lichfield St. Grey portaloo, wooden checkpoint hut opp green, plastic, sewage tank. Red zone, closed bldgs & Holiday Inn high rise behind awaited demolition
Looking west beyond Lichfield St checkpoint, I saw ruins & demolition-sites. I looked hard to see Poplar St entrance off Lichfield St, as there were so many shingle-blended demolition-sites. All that was left of Poplar St: a tarseal strip bordered by demolition-sites & brick-ruins.
I trekked south along Madras St, past apex car hire demolition-site & Edward Gibbon demolition-site to Tuam St crossing. On the other side of Madras St, I saw more ruins & restored NG Gallery. Another crack in CERA's utopia: restored businesses like NG Gallery had to succumb to CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater roofed-stadium! During the next decade while NG Gallery owners battled to keep their property, NZ government would leave the government-owned, part-demolished ruin next to NG Gallery! 2022. NG Gallery would be demolished.
Another crack between Council & NZ National government's / CERA's stadium plans: While AMI stadium was abandoned for years, awaiting insurance payout / demolition, CERA would foist its Blueprint, Madras St stadium on Christchurch citizens, to overshadow the Cardboard Cathedral!
Another demolition-site on Ash St corner: I looked past more demolition-sites to Poplar St. At the end of Ash St: Poplar Mews where Jake had flatted in Poplar St was gone. Just a brick-wall & wooden-doors of another brick building behind was seen.
03.04.12. Restored NG Gallery, Madras St, opp Ash St. The site would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium. During the next decade NG Gallery owners would battle NZ govt which wanted to take their land for the Blueprint Stadium build. For years NZ govt left a govt-owned, quake-ruined, part demolished bldg standing derelict next to NG Gallery! 2022. NG Gallery would be demolished
03.04.12. Red zone, Edward Gibbon, demolition site, Madras St
03.04.12. Red zone, Madras St, Edward Gibbon, demolition site view, vehicle going down Ash St to demolished Poplar St, by wooden doors
03.04.12. Red zone, Madras St, Edward Gibbon, demolition site. Metal braced, McKenzie Willis, High St left, Manchester St, Odeon Theatre middle, awaiting demolition, reopened Tuam St, Alice in Videoland right
03.04.12. Red zone, Madras St, Edward Gibbon, demolition site view, CPIT Fashion School, Tuam St left, red zone, braced, McKenzie Willis, High St right. CPIT Fashion School & McKenzie Willis facade survived the quakes
03.04.12. Madras St, E view, quake demolition sites between Lichfield St & Tuam St. Tuam St quake survivor bldgs right. The demolition sites, incl Turners & Growers site beyond, would be part of CERA's Blueprint, 35 000 seater, roofed stadium
Tuam St crossing: Mobil garage, McDonald's, CPIT Fashion School. The red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon went west along Tuam St a bit. Students lolled in the sun by the Fashion School wall, reading & chomping lunch. CPIT Fashion School & Mobil garage would survive the quakes.
03.04.12. Demolition site, carpark, quake damaged, part repaired bldg, Madras St / Tuam St
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Weedy demolition site, Madras St / Tuam St
03.04.12. Quake survivors: Mobil garage, Madras St / Tuam St, CPIT Music School, behind right. CPIT tech bldgs left
A woman stood crying by the steel-mesh-fence-cordon, comforted by her man. Ongoing quakes caused raw fear, stressing everyone. Meanwhile, CERA's residential-red-zoning & CBD-red-zoning would cause cracks for red-zoners for years.
Beyond the steel-mesh-fence-cordon, all that was left of Poplar St: A tar-strip with demolition-sites both sides, bordered by shipping- containers & tatty, brick-buildings, quake-survivors. Wasteland. West down Tuam St, half in & half out of the red-zone cordon-fence, I saw Alice in Videoland which was recently reopened.
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, W view, Tuam St: Demolished Poplar St behind shipping containers right, reopened Alice in Videoland beyond
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. CPIT Fashion School view, red zone, High St demolition sites middle, Poplar St demolition sites right. Beyond, Alice in Videoland, reopened left & red zone, closed, Westpac & Holiday Inn high rises awaited demolitions right
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. CPIT Fashion School, W view, red zone Tuam St. Reopened Alice in Videoland right
03.04.12. CPIT Fashion School, Tuam St N view, red zone demolition sites, abandoned bldgs. IRD bldg right survived the quakes
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. CPIT Fashion School view, Poplar St bordered by demolition sites, shipping containers & abandoned bldgs. Abandoned Majestic Theatre, Westpac & Holiday Inn beyond awaited demolitions
After Tuam St crossing, Madras St became livelier: tech students, countdown shoppers.
03.04.12. S view, Madras St / St Asaph St / High St crossing. St Asaph St demolition site, carpark beyond
03.04.12. High St / Madras St view, Madras St northbound traffic, quake survivor bldgs
Messy Madras St / St Asaph St / High St crossing: a demolition-site turned into a carpark on one corner. Student pedestrians dodged traffic by steel-mesh-fence-cordons which blocked red-zone High St. At the end of High St, Holiday Inn multi-storey ruin loomed, awaiting demolition.
03.04.12. W view, red zone High St, closed, quake survivor bldgs. CPIT Music School right.
03.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Students crossing St Asaph St from Madras St to red zone, St Asaph St / High St
Further south down Madras St workmen on scaffolding at NZ Broadcasting School repaired wall-cracks with epoxy glue. Cracks were all over the wall like 1 000s more Christchurch buildings repaired with epoxy-glue, then repainted.
Opposite side of Madras St: a closed building with a relocation notice painted in red & yellow on a cracked-window:
NOW AT
22 YUKON PLACE HORNBY...
03.04.12. Workmen epoxy glueing a quake cracked wall, NZ Broadcasting School, Madras St
03.04.12. Madras St / Allen St, S view, quake survivor, CPIT tech bldgs left, Madras St
03.04.12. Madras St / Allen St, N view, quake survivor bldgs, Madras St
03.04.12. Student bikes, students, CPIT tech, Madras St
03.04.12. Relocation notice, quake cracked, shop window, Madras St
Southwark St corner: a demolition-site carpark. Opposite corner: a brick-ruin, toppled parapet exposed, unrepaired, topped by an unrepaired gutter pipe.
03.04.12. Demolition site carpark, Madras St / Southwark St
03.04.12. Quake trashed, brick parapet & gutter pipe, Madras St / Southwark St
03.04.12. Repairs to quake damaged bldg, Madras St / Southwark St
03.04.12. Countdown, Madras St / Moorhouse Ave
03.04.12. Mural near countdown, Madras St
03.04.12. Madras St view, quake closed, brick station (incl Science Alive) boarded clock tower, Moorhouse Ave. The old brick station would be demolished, Aug 2012. The clock would be saved for the new Science Alive, which hoped to relocate to the old Court House, Durham St Nth, 2016
Moorhouse Ave, busy as usual. I snapped the old brick-station, closed. Its clock-tower was boarded. August 2012, the old station (including Science Alive) would be demolished. The tower clock stopped when 4 September 2010 Quake struck.
I returned to my car through wastelands & Latimer Sq. No rebuilds along Madras St south.
During my April 2012 trek on cracked Madras St, CERA schemed a Blueprint Green-Frame & stadium on Madras St demolition-sites. (CERA Blueprint, August 2012). Limbo time for Madras St, as CERA hadn't yet Blueprinted Madras St, forcing its Green-Frame & expensive stadium projects on property-owners either side of Madras St. Imagine the CBD-cacophany when sports events & concerts would happen at the stadium!
03.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St junction
*Trekked Victoria St, Kilmore St, Peterborough St, Madras St. 92 images.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Record $635m insurance payout for Christchurch City Council (The Press / Stuff Co).
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