Into the Red Zone

We are up early today and head straight into the city to have breakfast in the Re:START Mall before going on the early morning bus tour into the Red Zone.  This tour takes you through the cordoned off area of the city which is now a major demolition /construction site.  The tours are very popular with locals and tourists alike wanting to understand the nature of the destruction which had occurred, but also and much more positively to understand what the plans were for the rebuild of the city and what construction works were already underway.  We had been very lucky to get on the tour as this was the only slot available for 2 days.

We head off on the bus with a really lovely and enthusiastic guide from the Christchurch Museum.  We are told that the current red zone is now much smaller than that in the immediate aftermath of the February 2011 earthquake, due to the intensive building inspection and demolition works which have already been undertaken.  Before entering the current red zone we drive through some of these areas and see a clock tower where the clock is frozen at 12.50pm – the time the earthquake occurred.   

We pass the site of the CTVbuilding where the greatest loss of life occurred and see a very moving and respectful tribute to the people who died there.  A series of white chairs had been placed in an adjacent site.  All the chairs were completely different and individual to represent each individual person that died in the building.  

It is a very moving tribute.

We enter the current red zone and are immediately struck by the amount of work being undertaken all around us.  Buildings are being demolished, construction waste is being crushed, screened and stockpiled for reuse, and new foundations were being constructed.  

There is a total hive of activity and it reminds me of the early days on the Olympic Park where so many different workstreams were being undertaken at the one time in a relatively small area.  There is a really positive feel to the work being undertaken to rebuild the city.  We see further art installations, the site of the new cardboard cathedral and areas where park land as re-opened following the effects of liquefaction.  Even nearly 2 years on the extend of the damage is still stark in some areas and we understand that decisions are still to be made on some of the building in the city centre as to whether they are required to be pulled down.  One of these and very sadly is the Cathedral Building which was one of the building highlights in Christchurch before the earthquakes, which had a beautiful stained glass rose window.  We understand from the guide and also from reading in the local papers that a decision has yet to be reached on the cathedrals future although it is apparent that many locals want to see it restored.  Whether this is possible given the scale of destruction to the building remains unclear.

As the tour concludes we both are surprised how much more positive we both feel about the future of the city compared to how we felt on our arrival yesterday.  We are really pleased to have been able to go on the tour and learn about the rebuild of the city.

Mrs M