Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Year 2 CERA. Christ Church Cathedral Farce, Northbound Madras St Reopening, Green E Frame

Red Zone, E Frame, CBD focus. The Star, 25.04.12. CERA announced that northbound Madras St would reopen on Fri 27.04.12. From Latimer Sq, northbound Madras St was already reopened for months as a single lane, demolition sites both sides of Madras St, a steel mesh fence cordon blocking other lanes.

By Latimer Sq, Christ Church Cathedral diocese was building a post quake, A-frame, Cardboard Cathedral on St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Madras St / Hereford St.

23.04.12. Demolition had begun on the 22.02.11 Killer Quake collapsed tower of Christ Church Cathedral. Heritage hailers tried again to Save the Cathedral from complete demolition. The Wizard raised 50 signatures to Save the Cathedral & was present when bishop Matthews consecrated St Johns demolition site, sprinkling water on the site. Two codgers jabbering in medieval garb. What a farce!

Bishop Matthews contended that ratepayers must pay $240 000 p/a for use of the Cardboard Cathedral, reasoning that Cantabrians would use the Cardboard Cathedral for civic functions, as had happened pre quakes in Christ Church Cathedral.

Matthews hadn't consulted ratepayers (many non Christians & atheists) about demolition of quake trashed Christ Church Cathedral, yet expected ratepayers to pay for the $5 million, A-frame, Cardboard Cathedral over its proposed 20 year life.

Post quakes, as Town Hall, theatres & other halls were abandoned or demolished in the CBD, Mathews had a point about a hall for hire, the Cardboard Cathedral. Her detractors like The Wizard hadn't come up with any other viable hall idea. Christ Church Cathedral ghost & the land on which it was built was owned by the Anglican diocese, not The Wizard nor Heritage hailers.

Nov 2013. While the Wizard whined in the CBD he showed no compassion nor zeal about helping 1 000s of Cantabrians who'd lost their homes to quakes & CERA red zone offers. The Wizard would protest at recently revamped, New Regent St, opp The Press offices. He never protested in the suburbs.


27.04.12. Hereford House, demolition site by St Johns Anglican Church, demolition site, Hereford St


27.04.12. St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Blackwells Hudson & CTV bldg demolition sites & abandoned IRD bldg beyond, Cashel St




27.04.12. St Johns Anglican Church, demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Blackwells Hudson & CTV bldg demolition sites & abandoned IRD bldg beyond, Cashel St



Jap architect, Shigeru Ban gave a free plan of the Cardboard Cathedral to the diocese to enhance his reputation. The Press pic of the proposed Cardboard Cathedral looked like giant toilet rolls, an A-frame, toilet roll roof covered in plastic, on shipping container walls, with N facing window to impress tourists. Ban's cardboard tube, plastic & container plan looked like a giant tent. That architecture heralded Christchurch CBD's rebuild, mostly steel frame & glass boxes.

Nearby St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, a flexible wooden church, Oxford Tce / Durham St Sth, survived the quakes & could easily be shared with Christ Church Cathedral congregation. (Other denominations shared churches with congregations of quake shattered churches). Pity bishop Matthews wasn't doing her pastoral duty, ensuring quake suffering ratepayers were properly housed post quakes, instead of jabbering about her prestigious house of god.


27.04.12. Quake survivor, St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, Durham St Sth / Oxford Tce





27.04.12. Quake surviving, stained glass windows, St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church, Durham St Sth / Oxford Tce






Ban could put his architect's mind to providing affordable, safe housing for post quake, displaced Cantabrians. Free designs of course, in the spirit of his Cardboard Cathedral.

Fri morning 27.04.12. On my way to Christchurch red zone, CBD, when I stopped my car at Greers Rd / Wairakei Rd crossing, red lights, a burst pipe near CERA minister, Brownlee's electorate office flooded Greers Rd by the shops. Workmen in orange, Hi-Vis vests scurried around, planting orange, plastic, road cones to detour traffic. Others used a blue, sucker truck to suck flood water.

Hours later, on my return from the red zone CBD, Greers Rd flood water was gone, but orange, Hi-Vis vested, City Care workmen dug a hole to replace the broken pipe. Fourteen months post 22.02.11 Killer Quake, as there was flooding after a little rain in Greers Rd, Brownlee could've organized CERA minions to stop flooding in the red zone CBD & quake trashed E suburbs, where quakes had caused land sinking.

Nov 2013. There would be repeated news about heavy rains flooding Flockton Basin, where quakes had sunk the area about half a metre. Houses were flooded after rains & householders endured repeated post quakes flooding. Meanwhile Council, EQC, CERA & insurers dithered.


27.04.12. Post quake flooding, repairs, Greers Rd / Wairakei Rd


27.04.12. Repairs, post quake flooding, Greers Rd

 


I drove to Oxford Tce in the CBD to snap St Michael & All Angels, Anglican Church. During quakes, the church organ was damaged, but the stained glass windows were OK. The flexible wooden church stood proud, while nearby Cashel St bldgs & hundreds of nearby CBD ghosts, mostly masonry bldgs, were trashed by quakes. St Michael proved that flexible wood was good in quakes. So far, in 10 000+ quakes, our wooden house had shaken & jiggled, standing firm. Concrete was crap in quakes, as concrete shattered, cracked & spalled. Post quakes, Council & CERA allowed concrete, tilt slab, steel & glass bldgs to be built all over Christchurch. Distinguishing structures in new bldgs were large X shaped, steel reinforcement tubes or X shaped steel girders strengthening post quake walls.

I parked my car at Worcester St by Latimer Sq to look at Madras St & the newly opened red zone, CBD niche, along Oxford Tce & Armagh St towards Manchester St.

St Johns Anglican Church demolition site, Latimer Sq, Madras St / Hereford St: Weedy with demolition junk on site & a fence cordoned view towards the CTV demolition site, where 115 people died in the 22.02.11, M6.3 Killer Quake.

Shigaru Ban's Cardboard Cathedral would soften that grim view. In the red zone, opp the CTV site, 5 year old IRD was abandoned, like other red zone, ghosts. 2021. IRD, quake survivor, still abandoned.


27.04.12. Worcester St, W view, Latimer Sq, red zone CBD, ghost high rises



27.04.12. Post quake, abandoned bldgs nr Latimer Sq, Worcester St


27.04.12. Post quake rebuild, Latimer Hotel, Worcester St, opp Latimer Sq









Latimer Sq: Surrounded by demolition sites & ghosts. On Worcester St, opp Latimer Sq, construction workers, wearing Hi-Vis vests & hard hats, completed Latimer Hotel rebuild's concrete foundations, more than a metre thick & raised concrete, tilt slab walls.

01.08.12. CERA would announce that its L shaped, Green Frame would be made south of Avon River between Madras St & Manchester St & between St Asaph St & Tuam St. That CERA idea was based on Council's Share an Idea scheme done post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. Hundreds more demolitions would be needed in the Green Frame before grass, trees, flowers were planted in the Green Frame. CERA's plan was that the Green Frame would shrink the CBD to maintain property values in the shrunken CBD. It was NZ National govt's / CERA's fantasy, as there were 100s of quake survivor, CBD bldgs outside CERA's Green Frame. (Hidden agenda: Manchester St's red light strip would be destroyed in CERA demolitions.)


27.04.12. Worcester St, quake damaged bldgs, nr Latimer Sq




I trekked across deserted Latimer Sq, quake refuge & scene of sorrow & rescuer activity during the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.


27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing


27.04.12. Latimer Sq / Hereford St / Madras St junction, S view, Arrow House & CTV bldg, demolition sites to abandoned IRD bldg, Cashel St. 2019. Arrow House demo site would become Liverpool Terrace apartments. CTV demo site would become a quake memorial park. 2021. IRD bldg, quake survivor, still abandoned


27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing


Madras St: I trekked northwards towards Armagh St. Desolate demolition sites, used as carparks, were both side of Madras St.


27.04.12. Latimer Sq, N view, Gloucester St / Madras St crossing & quake demolition sites both sides of Madras St. CERA's site for Residential Demonstration Project right. CERA's green, E Frame left would become the Blueprint Rauora Park. Closer to Avon River, bldgs would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground & carpark


27.04.12. Quake demolition sites, Madras St, nr Latimer Sq. CERA's green, E Frame left


27.04.12. Quake demolition sites, Madras St / Armagh St crossing. CERA's green, E Frame left. Bldgs would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground & carpark

Madras St / Armagh St: I trekked past Amicus House demolition site & the irony of quake-closed realtor bldg, bordered by quake demolition sites. Amicus House demo site would become part of E Frame / Rauora Park.


27.04.12. NO THROUGH ROUTE. Madras St, W view, deserted, red zone Armagh St. Forsyth Barr, PWC high rises beyond. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct. CERA's green, E Frame would go from Madras St to Manchester St, incl some of Armagh St. Bldgs on right, Centennial Pool, ACC, would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground


27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St. Realtor bldg awaited CERA demolition for CERA's green, E Frame / Rauora Park, which would go from Madras St to Manchester St. PWC high rise beyond awaited demolition for the new RC Cathedral precinct




Armagh St, Oxford Tce, Manchester St loop: I cut past yellow stickered, Centennial Pool ghost to autumn leafy, Oxford Tce. I trekked past ACC ghost & boarded / steel mesh fence cordoned, Charles Luneys ghost by poplar-lined Avon River to Manchester St Bridge.

On a yellow sticker on Centennial Pool's glass door, a protester had scrawled:

SAVE ME NO WHITE
                               ELEPHANTS

Protesters disliked CERA demolishing repairable, Centennial Pool for the Margaret Mahy Family Playground in CERA's green, E Frame. Luneys & ACC ghosts would be demolished for the playground too. It was NZ National govt / CERA top-down decisions, without consulting citizens about citizens' needs.


27.04.12. Faux pissoir, unused since 22.02.11 quake, red zone, Armagh St, by Centennial Pool


27.04.12. Quake trashed, Centennial Pool, red zone, between Armagh St & Oxford Tce, Centennial Pool would be demolished for the Margaret Mahy Family Playground






27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, Centennial Pool garden. It would become part of Margaret Mahy Family Playground


27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, Avon River, Cambridge Tce, quake damaged Madras St Bridge


27.04.12. Red zone, Centennial Pool board, Oxford Tce


27.04.12. Red zone, quake damaged, abandoned ACC bldg, Oxford Tce. ACC would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground



27.04.12. Red zone, quake damaged / closed Bohemian Cafe Bar, Oxford Tce. Bohemian Bar would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground



27.04.12. Red zone, abandoned, Charles Luneys bldg, Oxford Tce / Manchester St. Luneys would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground


27.04.12. Red zone, Oxford Tce view, quake damaged, Manchester St Bridge


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake buckled pavement, Manchester St Bridge cordon view, red zone, NZDF checkpoint, cnr Cambridge Tce


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, red zone, cordon view, Retour Restaurant (Edmonds Band Rotunda) awaiting demolition, in CBD red zone, Cambridge Tce. Retour Restaurant dome would be plastic wrapped, abandoned on Avon River bank for years. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda would be rebuilt. Ernst & Young behind would be demolished

Manchester St Bridge & Manchester St: Views into the red zone, ghost CBD. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel loomed above Forsyth Barr & PWC high rises, the former would be restored to Crowne Plaza Hotel, the latter awaited demolition for the new RC Cathedral precinct.

The long standing, red zone, NZDF checkpoint still occupied Cambridge Tce side, but the red zone, steel mesh fence cordon occupied only half of Manchester St Bridge, lengthwise along the span. Retour Restaurant (Edmonds Band Rotunda) & Ernst & Young, Cambridge Tce, awaited demolition. Retour restaurant dome would be white plastic wrapped, abandoned on Avon River bank for years. 2020-21. Edmonds Band Rotunda would be rebuilt.


27.04.12. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce / Manchester St Bridge, NZDF checkpoint view, CBD red zone. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel high rise was restored


27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St / Cambridge Tce crossing, red zone, NZDF checkpoint view, quake-closed high rises in CBD red zone. BNZ & PWC middle would be demolished. The new RC Cathedral precinct would be build on the PWC demo site opp Victoria Sq.



A NZDF checkpoint soldier, wearing an orange, Hi-Vis vest, checked vehicles in & out of the red zone, via Manchester St, across Manchester St Bridge & Cambridge Tce, past the Retour Restaurant & PGC demolition site, where 18 people died in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake.

NZDF checkpoint sign:

AUTHORISED
   VEHICLES
CONTRACTOR
  ENTRANCE

Threat sign:

EXTREME
 DANGER
    KEEP
    OUT


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Manchester St / Cambridge Tce crossing, NZDF checkpoint view, PGC bldg, demolition site. 18 people died when PGC bldg collapsed, 22.02.11 quake. Ernst & Young behind would be demolished




When I checked the eastern span of Manchester St Bridge, quakes had shifted the concrete span a couple of centimetres westwards, anti-clockwise. As in all Avon River bridges I'd seen, quake damage was shifting of concrete spans, clockwise or anti-clockwise, spalling, buckling, or separations, later disguised by asphalt patching, between bridge spans & abutments.


27.04.12. Manchester St Bridge, Avon River downriver view, poplars. Cambridge Tce left, Oxford Tce right


27.04.12. Manchester St Bridge pavement, 22.02.11 quake buckled above abutment & span join. Oxford Tce beyond

I trekked along Manchester St by Charles Luneys ghost, razor wire above a boarded door in Armagh St, to Manchester St / Armagh St crossing. Red zone, Bob Brown's Hi Fi, cnr ghost: broken window panes, curtains fluttered through window gaps & cracked walls. At the back cnr of Bob Brown's Hi Fi, Armagh St side, steel rebars at a column base were exposed, where masonry had fallen off. Verkerks butchery, across Manchester St, would be demolished. Over the years we'd bought Verkerks meat. (Post quakes, we would buy meat at Verkerks factory, Vagues Rd). Bob Brown's Hi Fi & Charles Luney ghosts would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground.


28.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, S view, red zone, Manchester St / Oxford Tce crossing. Red zone, closed, Charles Luneys bldg left, quake-closed Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel & Novotel in red zone beyond. Both hotels were restored. Luneys left would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground in CERA's green, E Frame


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Manchester St Bridge, SW view, red zone, CBD abandoned bldgs





27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, orange plastic mesh cordon. Manchester St / Armagh St, E view, red zone, Armagh St. Charles Luneys left, Orion utility right. Charles Luneys would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Orion bldg would survive the quakes


27.04.12. Red zone, fence cordoned, razor wired, boarded, quake-damaged, Charles Luneys bldg, Manchester St / Armagh St, was demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground




27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St, E view, quake-closed, Charles Luneys bldg left, abandoned ACC bldg right, both demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St, W view, red zone, CBD abandoned bldgs. Verkerks left would be demolished. Forsyth Barr middle would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.





27.04.12. Red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, boarded, quake-closed, Verkerks Butchery, Armagh St / Manchester St. Verkerks would be demolished



27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St / Manchester St crossing, S view, red zone, steel mesh fence cordoned, quake-closed, CBD bldgs


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake trashed, Bob Brown's Hi Fi bldg, red zone, Armagh St / Manchester St. Bob Brown's Hi Fi would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground















27.04.12. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Armagh St bldgs: Orion utility left survived the quakes. Quake trashed, Bob Brown's Hi Fi middle would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground. Forsyth Barr beyond would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel

Armagh St to Madras St crossing: Orion utility still did business & would survive the quakes. A guard in blue uniform stood at the back gate. During quakes, Orion linesmen reconnected & kept power going. During quakes & post quakes, great work was also done by sewer men, telecom workers, water men & road workers keeping services going.

Orion bldg, wall plaque celebrating a neon mural:

"Paul Hartigan
Nebula 2001

Neon & mercury-argon tubing on painted aluminium with programmed animation sequence. Commissioned by Orion New Zealand Limited. Officially opened on Monday 19 November 2001..."



27.04.12. Red zone, quake survivor, Orion utility, neon & aluminium mural, Armagh St



27.04.12. Red zone, red oak leaves, Orion aluminium, pavement cover, Armagh St



27.04.12. Red zone, 4 grey portaloos, back of Orion utility, Armagh St


27.04.12. Quake fallen sign, tyres workshop, red zone, Armagh St


27.04.12. Back of quake trashed, Centennial Pool, red zone, Armagh St. Centennial Pool would be demolished for Margaret Mahy Family Playground


Armagh St / Madras St: Flood puddle by Amicus House demolition site, with an Orion electricity, green metal box buzzing in the foul water. Pedestrians wandered by. Diagonally opp, in an empty Wilson carpark, water still flooded from a burst well near Crighton B & B. The well had flooded Madras St ever since the Feb 22 Killer Quake. I suspected the flooding was caused by an underground stream connected to nearby Avon River. And Council & CERA were keen to rebuild on quake trashed CBD sites. Swampland. All that flooding would be included in CERA's Blueprint E Frame.

I trekked along demolition wasteland, Madras St back to Latimer Sq.


27.04.12. Quake buckled, paving stones by abandoned realtor bldg, red zone, Armagh St. Realtor would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park





27.04.12. Armagh St, S view, quake trashed, abandoned, red zone bldgs, Gloucester St. Latimer Sq trees left. The bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park



27.04.12. Red zone, Amicus House demolition site, post quake flooding, Armagh St / Madras St. Wilson carpark on demolition site beyond. The flooding would be in CERA's Green E Frame & Wilson carpark would become CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project. (Never happened). A taste of CERA's / Council's Nov 2013 proposals for high density living dotted around Christchurch



27.04.12. Red zone, Armagh St / Madras St crossing, W view, Forsyth Barr left in red zone, CBD. Forsyth Barr would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.


27.04.12. Red zone, Amicus House demolition site, post quake flooding, Madras St / Armagh St. Forsyth Barr middle beyond would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC beyond right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq. Realtor bldg middle left would be demolished & Amicus House demo site would enable CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. No cars in red zone Madras St. Gloucester St & Latimer Sq beyond


27.04.12. Madras St, weedy demolition site, W view, red zone, quake-closed, CBD bldgs. Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel beyond was restored. Foreground bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park



27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St, demolition site, SW view, quake trashed, abandoned, red zone bldgs, Gloucester St. The 2 high rises would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park



27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, Madras St, demolition site view, red zone, abandoned bldgs. Left bldgs would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park. Forsyth Barr middle would be restored as Crowne Plaza Hotel. PWC middle right would be demolished for the new RC Cathedral precinct opp Victoria Sq.

Madras St / Gloucester St: A silver, Smith crane was parked, boom lowered, on Securities House demolition site.

Across Madras St were empty carparks on demolition sites, Charlie B's Backpackers was long gone. The demolition sites would become CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project. (Never happened). A taste of things to come, when in Nov 2013 CERA & Council would propose high density housing, 30 - 65 dwellings per hectare, to be dotted around Christchurch.


27.04.12. Red zone, silver, Smith crane, Securities House demolition site, Madras St / Gloucester St. The bldgs would be demolished for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park



27.04.12. Madras St, quake demolition sites, nr Latimer Sq. Charley B's Backpackers gone. CERA's proposed Residential Demonstration Project site. (Never happened)


27.04.12. Patched Gloucester St / Madras St, W view, red zone CBD. Quake-closed, Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel beyond. Latimer Sq tree left. CERA's green E Frame would go from Latimer Sq to Manchester St just before Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel. All bldgs up to Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park


27.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq W view, red zone, quake-closed Pacific Tower / Rendezvous Hotel. Pacific Tower would be restored. Bldgs below would be demolished for CERA's E Frame / Rauora Park


27.04.12. Latimer Sq S view, Hereford St / Madras St junction. Bldgs in the pic would be demolished for post quake developments, like Liverpool Terrace apartments

Saturday afternoon 28.04.12. I did the Madras St trek with Leah, who was disorientated by all the red zone, steel mesh fence cordons & missing bldgs around Latimer Sq & northwards along Madras St. Near Centennial Pool, we looped along Oxford Tce by autumn leafy Avon River, past The Poplars demolition site & past Oxford Tce Baptist Church, demolition site, with its 185 Empty Chairs memorial, remembering 22.02.11 Killer Quake.


28.04.12. Post quake, braced, Edmonds Clock Tower, nr Madras St Bridge. The clock stopped at 12.51 pm when the 22.02.11 quake struck. Edmonds Clock Tower would be decapitated for repairs

Edmonds Clock Tower was steel mesh fence cordoned, scaffolded, nylon strapped, steel & concrete block braced. The clock stopped at 12.51pm when the 22.02.11 Killer Quake struck. The gargoyles were plastic wrapped & taped. FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY were inscribed on the Clock Tower. CERA would turn the area into Blueprint E Frame. Edmonds Clock Tower would be decapitated for repairs.

We crossed Madras St Bridge, quake damages between spans & abutments. Kicking autumn leaves, we trekked past Cambridge Tce ghosts.


28.04.12. Post quakes, Madras St Bridge, upriver view, Avon River poplars. Oxford Tce left, Cambridge Tce right


I snapped steel mesh fence cordoned, Theosophy ghost, which had deteriorated during quakes. By Avon River bank, Leah stuck her leg about half a metre deep into a leafy, quake crack between road & curb. Quakes had pulled concrete curbs from road asphalt all over Christchurch, leaving lengthy, dangerous cracks.


28.04.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Serial quake trashed, cordoned, Theosophy bldg, Cambridge Tce. Theosophy bldg would be demolished









28.04.12. Quake junk, Cambridge Tce


28.04.12. Quake crack between road & curb by Avon River, Cambridge Tce, E view. Quake trashed Theosophy bldg left would be demolished


28.04.12. Quake crack between road & curb by Avon River, Cambridge Tce. W view to Manchester St, NZDF checkpoint

Quakes & CERA red zone cordons strangled the life out of CBD bldgs on both Avon River banks. As the riverside bldgs looked dangerous, despite removal of liquefaction silt & touch ups, most of those riverside ghosts would be demolished. So much for CERA's recovery of commercial activity in the red zone CBD. I didn't see bldg owners & entrepreneurs, nor international funding rushing back to that NE part of Christchurch CBD.

Joy of trekking Madras St environs that weekend, there were more pedestrians than cars. But contractor vehicles & heavy-duty, demolition & construction vehicles had hammered the citizen-forbidden, red zone CBD for months.

*Trekked Greers Rd, Hereford St, Durham St Sth, Worcester St, Latimer Sq, Madras St, Armagh St, Oxford Tce, Cambridge Tce, Manchester St. 146 images.

Sun 29.04.12. Madras St tranquility for pedestrians & cyclists only lasted 2 days. On Sunday, southern Madras St beyond Latimer Sq to Tuam St was reopened, after 14 months of demolitions post 22.02.11 Killer Quake. 

Coda:

Jan 2013. It would be 28 months before the NZDF occupation of Christchurch CBD by CERA would stop. CERA's WMDs were demolisher diggers. Pre quakes Christchurch citizens were so welfare state smug, they didn't know their own NZ National govt would occupy their CBD by means of cordons, closed bldgs, demolitions & NZDF checkpoints for 28 months. Citizens banned. All for citizens' safety of course, while NZ National govt / CERA cherry picked CERA proclaimed, red zone land with taxpayers' money for its Blueprint vanity projects & precincts.

Thus NZ National govt / CERA would use State of Emergency powers, red zone, steel mesh fence cordons, military checkpoints & compliant, money-grabbing contractors to completely change the E side of Christchurch CBD. By late 2015, NZ National govt's / CERA's "rebuild" would morph to "regeneration" with the advent of Margaret Mahy Family Playground & E Frame / Rauora Park on vast demolition sites between Madras Street & Manchester St.

Content & pics copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

See CERA shadow over cathedral (The Press / Stuff Co). 

See CERA documents on Christchurch Cathedral.

See Flockton Cluster beg council for flood aid (The Press / Stuff Co).


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