The Red Zone

Kia Ora!

On Easter Sunday, 31 March 2013, we observed a spiritual morning at Cathedral Square in Christchurch. Perhaps it should have been on Good Friday as it was a time of grieving for me. I have visited Christchurch several times, finding the center of the city a delightful place to wander and explore. This morning was a time to mourn what is no longer there or still exists, though damaged and unrepaired. Two earthquakes struck this city in 2010. Details about the quakes will follow in another post.  

Traffic light has no traffic

Cathedral in back, police under tree

Much of the central business district (CBD) is blocked off and called The Red Zone. Pedestrians are allowed on some streets that are blocked to traffic. Other streets and the square itself are blocked to pedestrians also.

Towerless cathedral

Cardboard cathedral

The dominating presence in the square for me has always been the Christchurch Cathedral. I wandered through it, went to Evensong there, congratulated members of the Boys' Choir on a fine job. Now it stands empty with no repairs made in two years, true for much of the city. The bell tower collapsed, taking with it a large section of the front of the building. The back appears to have had less damage and I hope the beautiful-sounding pipe organ remains viable. Plans to repair the cathedral seem locked in some sort of disagreement about what and how it should be done. In the meantime, construction is underway for a replacement to be used for about twenty years. It is located in a nearby square and is being constructed of cardboard. I kid you not!

The hotel stood here

In 2008, I stayed for a three-day visit at an older hotel auspiciously situated very few blocks from the square on a tram line and within an easy walk of a group of buildings that were once a university, now converted to a center for artists' studios, shops, and restaurants. The Art Center  is still there, broken but under reconstruction. 



Artists' studios-1 of the buildings



Containers and facade

Scaffolding a common site

Look closely at this untouched photo of a stack of containers, such as used for shipping. Behind them is the facade of an old building that no longer exists. It was a famous theatre. The container stack is supporting the facade, which will become the face of a new theatre in the future.

The delay in reconstructing much of the inner city appears to be partly money and mostly political. Yesterday's newspaper featured a story about a multimillionaire from the city who withdrew his offer of a substantial amount of money to be used for reconstruction because it was not being used. He decided it could be earning money elsewhere and he put it where it is profitably invested: in oil and gas in Houston, Texas.

Prayerfully,

Kiwi Traveler