Wednesday 19th. Feb.

Spent the morning walking Christchurch City Centre.

Most roads are now usable because most of the really devastated or unsafe buildings have been cleared down to empty hard-cored lots, or screened and protected by stacks of shipping containers. Equally there are many skyscrapers and multi-storey car parks empty and unusable, but left in situ as they are no danger to street users. I covered an area of 2km x 2km of which I think between 50 to 75 percent was devastated. There must be considerable damage for a further few km, but the suburbs appeared to be only lightly affected. The population of Christchurch is only around 350,000 so it is a relatively small place by comparison to British cities.

 

 

The Cathedral will have to be demolished, but they have built the Cardboard Cathedral to last 20 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also close by they have built a modest shopping village The Container Shopping Centre: The Kiwis are certainly resilient and inventive, but it will be a very long haul indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 There is some repair and new build going on but it is only a fraction of what is needed, and people around talk of at least 20 years to reclaim the city. In future nothing will be built above 8 stories high, and talking to one of the engineers on the site of the new Terraces they are building on a concrete raft instead of deep piles.

 

The Terraces

 

 

Then around lunchtime, as recommended by Janet M. and every guide book going, I headed to the extensive Botanic Gardens, and, caught by surprise without umbrella by my first rain shower I headed into the Museum café for the second day in a row. It didn’t last very long and it is still very hot, so in fact I would have dried out quickly in Rohan gear.

 

Christchurch developed rapidly after early settlement in the mid 1800s and it was the communal pride to plant the gardens which now boast a large number of large well spaced 200+ year old trees. I was very surprised to see more Common Lime trees than I see at home alongside Horse Chestnut; the settlers apparently wanted to bring home with them to the extent of also planting formal beds and herbaceous borders of European plants. The Gardens now boast ponds, a rockery with heathers, a big herbaceous border with Hydrangeas and Hemp Agrimony (ref. JO Mrs. – she taught me this one) but also an area of native trees and bushes.

 

After that I headed in the direction of home via The Riccarton Bush, or Deans Bush, which is a large area of probably the only remaining original vegetation; this was deliberately saved by the first farming family (The Deans Brothers) whilst all around they were developing a large profitable farming estate by clearing 400 year old trees for building timber and the thick underbrush for fields. It is protected from animal predators by wire fencing, double gated (airlock) entrances and rangers, and takes at least half an hour to walk round. Janet M. did you get to see it? You would have loved it.
 

 Deans Bush

 

This is now completely surrounded by suburbs which I walked through (thanks to my New Zealand maps and my smartphone satellite navigation) back to the Motel. Very beautiful suburbs they are too; lots of space in wide grass and tree lined avenues, and not a single small square box, and not one the same. I can see why Norman and Mon came to NZ.

 

Only mid afternoon, but I was shattered: going to have to pace myself.

 

Thursday I pick up the hire car and drive down to Akaroa in the Banks Peninsular, followed by the 2 day Banks Peninsular Track (I have taken Fred’s recommendation) so you may not hear from me for a few days.