02.03.13. Flowery portaloo, Ellerslie Flower Show, Christchurch Botanic Gdns
Brownlee's CERA zombied large chunks of Christchurch by red-zonings, demolitions, shoddy coordination of repairs & rebuilds. For years CERA would condone EQC's & Fletcher's shoddy repairs to damaged-housing.
06.03.13. Latimer Sq / Gloucester St view, demolition sites to the CBD red zone
Sceptical of Brownlee's prattling about Christchurch CBD transformed from red-zone to rebuild-zone, I trekked a circuit of red-zone-CBD. Trekking before midday should've shown hordes of Hi-Vis vested workmen "rebuilding" the red-zone-CBD. But CERA's occupation of Christchurch-CBD had turned it into a Zombie-CBD:
06.03.13. Fading USAR / TF graffiti on multi-storey, carpark wall, Gloucester St, N red zone. The carpark would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park
Gloucester St / Manchester St: No change in red-zone demolition-sites since I'd last passed. No rebuild.
06.03.13. Gloucester St / Manchester St view, N red zone. Red YH bldg right would survive the quakes
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Gloucester St, W view, New Regent St restoration, Isaac Theatre Royal restoration in N red zone right. The Press, Camelot Hotel ghost left. Camelot Hotel would be demolished for Central Library / Turanga
New Regent St restoration: Still closed to public despite CERA's promises. Several orange Hi-Vis vested workmen stood talking behind a SMF-cordon. I saw that idleness often in Christchurch over the last two quake-years: SMF-cordons around slack workmen wearing orange Hi-Vis vests.
06.03.13. Gloucester St view, New Regent St restoration, N red zone. BNZ behind would be demolished
Gloucester St: Isaac Theatre Royal, no change, auditorium still gutted in the red-zone. No workmen seen.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red crane. Isaac Theatre Royal restoration, Gloucester St, N red zone
Forsyth Barr still gutted, abandoned, in the red-zone. No workmen seen. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Gloucester St view, abandoned Forsyth Barr, N red zone. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel
Farmers demolition-site in the red-zone: Two diggers drilled concrete-foundations. I saw an unmanned digger & an unmanned machine waiting to crunch concrete into rubble. A SMF-cordon threat-sign:
DANGER
DEMOLITION
SITE
KEEP OUT
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Farmers demolition site, Gloucester St / Colombo St, N red zone. Central Library left awaited demolition. Craigs House & Victoria Square flats awaited demolition behind right, for CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae
No rebuilding along Gloucester St red-zone. I saw a construction firm's vehicles parked by closed Novotel & Camelot Hotel ghost which obscured views of Christ Church Cathedral ruin. I saw orange Hi-Vis vested workmen wearing hard-hats. Idling.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. 2 cranes. Gloucester St view, Christ church Cathedral ruined nave, north transept, S red zone. Novotel wall left. Camelot Hotel right would be demolished for Central Library / Turanga rebuild
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, NZDF checkpoint view, quake ruined Christ Church Cathedral, S red zone
06.03.13. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon, NZDF checkpoint hut right. Cathedral Sq, NZDF checkpoint view, Christ Church Cathedral part demolished tower, collapsed W facade, S red zone. Chalice middle, cop kiosk right, both would survive the quakes, but the cop kiosk would be demolished in 2021
Gloucester St / Manchester St: NZDF-checkpoint, SMF-cordon around the red zone, same as when I'd last passed. Cathedral Sq demolitions, like Government Life ghost: nothing going on. Workmen did Novotel repairs.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Cathedral Sq, NZDF checkpoint view, Government Life awaited demolition, S red zone
06.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow crane. Cathedral Sq, NZDF checkpoint view, abandoned Camelot Hotel & Novotel undergoing repairs, S red zone. Camelot Hotel would be demolished for Central Library / Turanga rebuild
Chancery Ln Arcade: Behind a red-zone SMF-cordon, nothing happening. Chancery Ln Arcade ghost would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Gloucester St view, abandoned Chancery Ln Arcade, S red zone. Chancery Ln Arcade would be demolished for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre
Gloucester St, Central Library ghost: Still leaf-littered behind a red-zone SMF-cordon. Nothing happening. Central Library would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned Central Library, Gloucester St, N red zone. Central Library would be demolished for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Gloucester St Bridge view, Brannigans demolition site. Government Life awaited demolition, S red zone
Gloucester St / Durham St Nth: Provincial Council ghost, red-zone-cordoned. Since I last passed, no restoration happening. No workman seen. 2021. Provincial Council ghost, steel-cladded roof & steel-cladded walls, still no restoration!
06.03.13. Gloucester St Bridge view, Provincial Council's halted restoration, N red zone. 2021. Still no restoration!
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Amuri Courts carpark demolition site left, Provincial Council halted restoration right, N red zone, Durham St Nth. Awly Building, multi-storey offices would be build on Amuri Courts demo site
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Provincial Council restoration door, Durham St Nth, N red zone. White tarp covered the removed roof. Later replaced by a protective metal roof & metal sides, awaiting prolonged restoration. 2021. Still no restoration!
Armagh St Bridge: Still SMF-cordoned. Red-zone high-rise ghosts, Craigs House & Victoria Square apartments lined Victoria Sq awaiting demolition along Armagh St for CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae. PWC high-rise was gone, demolished months before. Court House ghosts were SMF-cordoned, Victoria Sq side.
Victoria Sq: SMF-cordoned, empty, no rebuilds around Victoria Sq. No workmen seen.
06.03.13. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Armagh St Bridge view, Craigs House & Victoria Square flats awaited demolition, N red zone, for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Armagh St Bridge view, Courthouse bldgs, N red zone
I saw abandoned Forsyth Barr / Crowne Plaza Hotel ghost looming through Victoria Sq trees.
06.03.13. Victoria Sq view, abandoned Forsyth Barr / Crowne Plaza Hotel N red zone
Abandoned Town Hall ghost, red-zone SMF-cordoned. Dandelion fountain's brick-steps were ruined, ivy growing down steps towards Avon River. No workman seen. An Avon punt slid downstream, CERA's idea for attracting tourists.
Town Hall would be restored by Council, 2016.
06.03.13. Victoria Sq view, Avon punters by abandoned Christchurch Town Hall, N red zone. Town Hall would be restored by Council, 2016
06.03.13. Victoria Sq: Quake damaged, ivy overgrown, Christchurch Town Hall steps, N red zone
06.03.13. Quake damaged, weedy, dandelion fountain, Town Hall, Avon River, Victoria Sq, N red zone. Town Hall would be restored by Council, 2016
06.03.13. Victoria Sq: Pre quake tourist sign, Christchurch Town Hall, N red zone
06.03.13. Pre quake CBD streets sign, Victoria Bridge, Victoria Sq, N red zone
Victoria Sq, the Floral Clock was zombied behind a red-zone SMF-cordon near the Courthouse ghost.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordoned, floral clock by Courthouse, Victoria Sq, N red zone
Kilmore St / Durham St Nth: I saw the Pallet Pavilion on Crowne Plaza Hotel demolition-site: Takeaway food trailers stood by, awaiting customers. A red-digger drilled concrete-foundations on the Salvation Army demolition-site.
06.03.13. Red digger. Yellow digger. Salvation Army demolition site by Courthouse, Durham St Nth
06.03.13. Takeaway trailers, Pallet Pavilion, Crowne Plaza Hotel demolition site, Durham St Nth / Kilmore St. Spicers ghost behind would be demolished for a law office rebuild
06.03.13. Pallet Pavilion view, demolition site left, Durham St Nth / Victoria St / Kilmore St crossing middle, Christchurch Casino right
06.03.13. Pallet Pavilion view, Victoria Sq & N red zone, Durham St Nth / Kilmore St. Abandoned Forsyth Barr left would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. Victoria Square flats & Craigs House awaited demolition middle for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Convention Centre / Te Pae. Courthouse right
Opposite Christchurch Casino, I saw a yellow-digger parked on a demolition-site where a restaurant once traded.
06.03.13. Yellow digger. Demolition site, abandoned bldgs, Kilmore St / Durham St Nth, N red zone
Durham St Nth / Peterborough StPost 22 February 2011 Quake, Guardian Trust ghost: its concrete-floor was dug down in places to foundation level. A yellow-sticker & fading USAR / TF graffiti still soiled glass-doors. In a corner, office furniture was stacked for relocation.
06.03.13. Yellow sticker, fading USAR / TF graffiti, Guardian Trust door, Durham St Nth / Peterborough St
Peterborough St: I visited Peterborough St temporary Central Library, as I'd seen that Brownlee's "rebuild" wasn't happening yet! There would be little rebuild in CERA occupied CBD for the next couple of years. During that time, most rebuilds were done by private sector developers, not CERA. Only in May 2015 would the rebuild Bus Interchange be completed between Lichfield St & Tuam St. CERA's other Blueprint anchor projects: Convention Centre / Te Pae, Stadium, Metro Sports Facility, Justice & Emergency Services Precinct, Margaret Mahy Family Playground... nothing happening yet!
Margaret Mahy Family Playground would open early 2016. East Frame / Rauora Park would open 2017. Justice & Emergency Services Precinct would be built 2015-16. Convention Centre / Te Pae, would be built, 2018-21. New Central Library / Turanga would open 2018. Piles for Metro Sports Facility foundations would be sunk 2018. Stadium: manana... Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement: manana...
Peterborough St: Old Convention Centre's demolition-site opposite the temporary Central Library: I looked through the red-zone SMF-cordon to Town Hall ghost. Demolition-trucks & a fire-engine were parked in front. 2021. Plans would be made for apartments, hotel & shops to be built on the old Convention Centre demolition-site.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Peterborough St, Convention Centre demolition site view, abandoned Town Hall, N red zone. 2016. Town Hall would be restored by Council. 2021. Plans would be made for apartments, hotel & shops to be built on the Convention Centre demo site.
Colombo St / Kilmore St: Aha! A new Italian restaurant, surrounded by demolition-sites near Town Hall ghost. The restaurant was closed, no lunchtime business, demolition-sites both sides.
06.03.13. Italian restaurant, Colombo St
Opposite corner: Another NZDF-checkpoint, a soldier checked vehicles entering the red-zone. Fletcher construction site: workmen constructed Forte Health's three-storey steel-frame on the block bordered by Kilmore St, Colombo St, Peterborough St. Forte Health development was a private sector, fast construction project. Fletcher built Forte Health on Avon River swampland, easily seen on an 1856 Black Map. (Council website). Never mind the underground stream traversing Kilmore St & nearby CBD streets. (2021. I would visit my ENT surgeon at Forte Health. She would do my Cochlear Implant surgery at St George's Hospital, Papanui Rd).
A SMF-cordon threat-signs:
Hard Hats
to be worn
Be Aware
of Hazards!
ATTENTION
ALL PEOPLE ENTERING
THIS SITE MUST READ
THE HAZARD ID BOARD
AND MUST SIGN IN
EVERYDAY
ALL RELEVANT SAFETY GEAR
MUST ALSO BE WORN
PRIOR TO ENTERING WORK AREAS
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Forte Health construction site, Colombo St / Kilmore St, N red zone
I saw two NZDF-checkpoints on Colombo St within two blocks of each other: Kilmore St crossing checkpoint, Gloucester St crossing checkpoint. Variable NZDF-checkpoints had banned citizens from the red-zone-CBD ever since the 22 February 2011 Quake.
Checkpoint threat-sign:
NO
PUBLIC
ACCESS
PAST THIS POINT
CERA PASSES ONLY
Despite citizens surviving 11 000 quakes & enduring CERA's occupation of its Zombie-CBD for nearly two years, CERA still treated citizens like idiots. Brownlee's rebuild wishes didn't match reality. Yet!
06.03.13. NO PUBLIC ACCESS. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. NZDF checkpoint, Colombo St / Kilmore St, N red zone. Abandoned Town Hall behind. Town Hall would be restored by Council, 2016
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Peterborough St view, Forte Health construction site, N red zone. Abandoned Ernst & Young left awaited demolition
Manchester St: No rebuilds. Several demolition-sites both street-sides, including Verkerks. Behind the red-zone SMF-cordon, irrigators sprayed a legume / grass mix. CERA started dust-laying grass & flower seeding, to be continued by demolition-site owners. Headline, CERA's Greater Christchurch Recovery Update, Issue 19, March 2013: "Flower meadow starts to come to life in the central city." Would CERA grass & flower vast Avon River tracts it took in residential red-zones: 7 000+ red-zone houses demolished by CERA? For months, people living near residential red-zones endured CERA demolition-dust & SCIRT excavation-dust.
CERA seeding some demolition-sites near Town Hall ghost was just PR spin, as most demolition-sites I saw around town had normal plant succession, mostly weeds like ragwort. On weekly shopping trips to Moorhouse Ave, I drove past Laycocks demolition-site, Durham St Nth / Salisbury St. I saw masses of ragwort about 2m high there growing quicker than Brownlee's rebuild.
Leah, teaching at her London St school, endured months of demolition-dust from nearby Richmond Working Mens Club & SCIRT excavation-dust from London St & Pavitt St & Cumberland St sewer-excavations. Monday 11.03.13, Leah came home with a sore head after continual banging of SCIRT excavators on Cumberland St. Her class was closest to Cumberland St, about 25m away. Leah's headaches went on all week. She wasn't prone to headaches prior to SCIRT's bangings & joltings.
Some demolitions continued for months, huge gaps between demolition phases. Examples: Richmond Working Mens Club & The Odeon Theatre, with flies demolished, then the gutted auditorium exposed to weathering for years, Manchester St / Tuam St. Knox Church, Bealey Ave / Victoria St was exposed to weathering for two years before restoration. Chinese Methodist Church, Papanui Rd / Rugby St, part-demolished, exposed for two years then rebuilt. Anglican & Catholic Cathedrals, only part-demolished more than two years post 22 February 2011 Quake, surrounded by SMF-cordons.
In the Update, CERA boasted: "The inner city cordon has now reduced from 387 hectares in February 2011 to just 38 hectares." CERA avoided calling it a military-cordon, check-pointed by NZDF-soldiers banning citizens from CERA's occupation of Christchurch CBD.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St view, Forte Health construction site, new grass, N red zone
Manchester St / Kilmore St, St Lukes Anglican Church demolition-site: I saw a Chartres Cathedral brick-maze improvement done by volunteers laying brick paving & wood mulch.
Manchester St / Cambridge Tce: Canterbury Manufacturers Association demolition-site: I saw a chestnut tree, "Orange Tree" art work, which was lurid orange-tape swaddling the tree trunk & branches.
06.03.13. Weedy, Canterbury Manufacturers Association demo site, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce
06.03.13. "Orange Tree" orange taped chestnut tree, Canterbury Manufacturers Association demo site, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce. 2015. Canterbury Manufacturers Association site would be a small park
Manchester St Bridge: I looked across the Avon River into the red-zoned Zombie-CBD. No workmen seen. The riverbank's split-wall teetered by Retour Restaurant's decapitated copper-dome. The copper-dome lay on the riverbank opposite PGC demolition-site where 18 people died in 22 February 2011 Quake. The rest of Retour Restaurant was gone, demolished. 2015. Retour Restaurant'S copper-dome would be plastic-wrapped & left on the riverbank. August 2019. The plastic-wrapped copper dome-would still be on the riverbank. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda (ex Retour Restaurant) would be restored.
06.03.13. Manchester St Bridge view, quake broken, retaining wall, Avon River embankment, Cambridge Tce, N red zone. Abandoned Rydges Hotel beyond awaited demolition
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge view, decapitated Retour Restaurant, copper dome, Cambridge Tce, N red zone. 2015. Retour Restaurant dome would be plastic wrapped. Abandoned Ernst & Young behind awaited demolition. Aug 2019. The plastic wrapped, copper dome would still be on the riverbank. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda would be restored
Manchester St: I trekked past demolition-sites, viewing the red-zone Zombie-CBD at Oxford Tce & Armagh St crossings. No workmen seen. From what I saw of Brownlee's / CERA's rebuild, the CBD rebuild would take many years.
Despite CERA's Zombie-CBD, CERA's CCDU Update boasted: "The owners of 58 commercial CBD properties have already agreed to sell to the Crown.
Contracts have been signed for 31 properties and agreement in principle reached with another 27 owners.
The Crown is seeking to buy 350 properties in total under the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan. Negotiations - many of them in an advanced stage - are ongoing with 182 of the properties."
Zombie-CBD: CERA used taxpayers' money to shrink its core-CBD by speculating on CCDU's Frame-land & buying & demolishing survivor buildings & replacing them with pseudo-parkland.
Despite shutting down the CBD for two years already, CERA & its CCDU had no proven idea how to encourage the return of businesses & residents back to its Zombie-CBD. CERA's & CCDU's Blueprint was a taxpayer funded wish list. Never mind CCDU's Blueprint rebuilding of the Zombie-CBD on liquefactioned swampland above Christchurch Fault, which had trashed Cashel Mall & the CBD in the 24 December 2010 Boxing Day Quake. Never mind damages caused by future quakes.
06.13.13. Manchester St / Oxford Tce crossing view, demolition junk, orange digger, abandoned bldgs, N red zone
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St view, weedy demolition site, abandoned, N red zone bldgs
06.03.13. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St / Armagh St crossing view, abandoned N red zone bldgs
Manchester St, near Gloucester St crossing: City Seafood Market was abandoned behind a SMF-cordon. I saw footpath weeds. Next door Youth Hostel Association was abandoned behind a SMF-cordon & more weeds. I saw faded USAR / TF graffiti on a window-pane. City Seafood Market & YHA would survive the quakes.
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned, quake survivor, City Seafood Market, Manchester St, N red zone
06.03.13. Abandoned YHA, Manchester St, N red zone. Quake closed, Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel behind. Both bldgs would survive the quakes
06.03.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Abandoned, cordoned YHA, Manchester St, N red zone. YHA would survive the quakes
06.03.13. Fading USAR / TF graffiti, abandoned YHA, Manchester St, N red zone. YHA would survive the quakes
There was no sign of CERA's vaunted Avon River Precinct, nor any Council work thereon, its Frame parkland, to entice kids back to the Zombie-CBD. Three years later, Margaret Mahy Family Playground would open, early 2016.
CERA boss Sutton wanted to encourage people back to his zombie-CBD by tendering more tours, like bike tours & walking tours. Never mind bus tours already tendered by CERA. If months before CERA had dropped its citizen bannings & NZDF-cordons & NZDF-checkpoints, locals might've been more interested in Brownlee's "rebuild".
CERA was keen to hear proposals for the following CBD tours: "walking tours, cycling tours, tuk-tuks, Sedgways, mini-vans, limousines." CERA considered it safe for tour operators to do tours in its Zombie-CBD, yet considered the CBD too dangerous for citizens like myself, who'd endured 11 000 quakes, to wander the CBD on our own. Without paying of course. Why wasn't CERA doing township-tours in Christchurch eastern suburbs showing quakemired squalor there?
CERA's latest: CERA's Zombie-CBD-cordon would be completely opened in June. Meanwhile the Christ Church Cathedral case ambled along. Deadline promises, then delays, CERA's modus operandi. Two years post 22 February 2011 Quake, CERA still muddled. Examples:
Last winter, CERA minister Brownlee said there was no housing crisis. Yet Council housing by Avon River & elsewhere was red-zoned by CERA. Recently Brownlee bollocked a councillor for slow repairs of Council housing. If there was no housing crisis, why fuss to speed up Council housing repairs? And why wasn't CERA rebuilding damaged state housing in Christchurch?
Whatever Crown offer a red-zoner accepted, the Crown took all the 7000+ residential red-zone lands it had red-zoned via CERA. With CERA's imminent demolition of those 7 000+ red-zoned houses, Brownlee reckoned there was no housing crisis!
Meanwhile, CERA's Crown offer to about 100 bare-land owners:
Half Rateable Value for uninsurable bare-land, no house on the land.
Just because bare-land was uninsurable, CERA discriminated against bare-land owners with cheapskate, half Rateable Value offers?
And where was CERA's promised advocacy service for red-zoners having difficulties with slow insurers?
Saturday 06.04.13. Greater Christchurch Recovery Update, Issue 20, April 2013, "SCIRT key projects April 2013:
"Stanmore Rd from Avonside Dr to North Avon Rd will be one way, north only, from early April for 8-10 weeks. Several work crews from two SCIRT delivery teams, Downer and MacDow, will be working at the same time to reduce the time the road is one way and minimise the flow-on effects on businesses. Both waste water and storm water pipes will be repaired. London Street will also be fully closed to traffic from Perth Street to Stanmore Road for six weeks from late March..."
More headaches for Leah due to excavator-noise & truck-noise, joltings & dust! More detours for months besieging Leah's school! Leah had complained about machine noise & joltings & dust aggravation for months. She disliked visiting CERA's Zombie-CBD-cordon, as dust irritated her. I dreaded thinking of excavation & demolition nasties in the dust: bacterial spores from sewage; demolition asbestos & CAC: Copper, Arsenic, Chromium from treated wood.
CERA listed four more SCIRT April projects in Christchurch. Example: the Stanmore Rd / London St excavation hassles by SCIRT experienced by Leah, just one of many excavation hassles caused by SCIRT around Christchurch over the last couple of years.
*Trekked Christchurch Botanic Gdns, Gloucester St, Cathedral Sq, Durham St Nth, Armagh St, Victoria Sq, Peterborough St, Colombo St, Kilmore St, Manchester St. 73 snaps.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See CERA's new tourism opportunities in the rebuild zone, 06.03.13.
See CERA boss Roger Sutton's update 04.03.13.
See Rebuild delays stretch patience (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Social housing is council's shame Brownlee (The Press / Stuff Co).
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