Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
traditional Maori welcome, cultural performance and
hangi
(earth oven) meal.
THE CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKES
Christchurch's seismic nightmare began at 4.35am on 4 September 2010. Centred 40km west of the city, a
40-second, 7.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Cantabrians from their sleep, and caused widespread damage to older
buildings in the central city. Close to the quake's epicentre in rural Darfield, huge gashes erupted amid grassy
pastures and the South Island's main railway line was bent and buckled. Because the tremor struck in the early
hours of the morning when most people were home in bed, there were no fatalities, and many Christchurch resid-
ents felt that the city had dodged a bullet.
Fast forward to 12.51pm on 22 February 2011, when central Christchurch was busy with shoppers and workers
enjoying their lunch break. This time the 6.3-magnitude quake was much closer, centred just 10km southeast of
the city and only 5km deep. The tremor was significantly more extreme, and many locals report being flung viol-
ently and almost vertically into the air. The peak ground acceleration exceeded 1.8, almost twice the acceleration
of gravity.
When the dust settled after 24 traumatic seconds, NZ's second-largest city had changed forever. The towering
spire of the iconic ChristChurch Cathedral lay in ruins; walls and verandahs had cascaded down on shopping
strips; and two multistorey buildings had pancaked. Of the 185 deaths (across 20 nationalities), 115 occurred in
the six-storey Canterbury TV building, where many international students at a language school were killed. Else-
where, the historic port town of Lyttelton was badly damaged; roads and bridges were crumpled; and residential
suburbs in the east were inundated as a process of rapid liquefaction saw tonnes of oozy silt rise from the ground.
In the months that followed literally hundreds of aftershocks rattled the city's traumatised residents (and
claimed one more life), but the resilience and bravery of Cantabrians quickly became evident. From the region's
rural heartland, the 'Farmy Army' descended on the city, armed with shovels and food hampers. Social media
mobilised 10,000 students, and the Student Volunteer Army became a vital force for residential clean-ups in the
city's beleaguered eastern suburbs. Heartfelt aid and support arrived from across NZ, and seven other nations sent
specialised urban-search-and-rescue teams.
The impact of the events of a warm summer's day in early 2011 will take longer than a generation to resolve.
Entire streets and neighbourhoods in the eastern suburbs have had to be abandoned, and Christchurch's heritage
architecture is irrevocably damaged. Three years after the quake, families in some parts of the city were still liv-
ing in substandard accommodation, waiting for insurance claims to be settled. Around 80% of the buildings with-
in the city centre's famed four avenues have been or are due to be demolished, and at the time of writing the
empty blocks are an eerie sight, leaving much of the city centre looking like a giant car park.
Plans for the next 20 years of the city's rebuild include a compact, low-rise city centre, large green spaces, and
parks and cycleways along the Avon River. It's estimated that the total rebuild and repair bill could reach $40 bil-
lion.
Activities
Boating
Antigua Boat Sheds
MAP
BOATING, KAYAKING
GOOGLE MAP
