Cathedral Square Walkway Open for Christmas and New Year

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has partially reopened Cathedral Square to allow the public to see the changes that have taken place in the heart of Christchurch.

The walkway into the Square will provide much closer viewing of the Christchurch Cathedral and surrounds compared to the existing walkway. The New Zealand Defence Force personnel based at the intersection’s red zone checkpoint will continue to manage public access.

CERA chief executive Roger Sutton said, “I hope people will go along in their holidays and see the Square as it is today, and then look forward to the exciting new space it will become at the heart of a dynamic new central city – which we will begin to see unfold in the new year.”  

Although many buildings have come down already, demolitions continue around Cathedral Square. The group of people gathered at the fence on Sunday 23^rd December were quiet as they absorbed the extent of the loss to the city. A few took photos but most just looked at the gaps where buildings, hotels, stores and cinemas used to stand.

The walkway is accessible from the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets and will remain open until 6 January 2013.

All photos are of Cathedral Square as it was on the 23rd December 2012

Photo tour of Earthquake-Damaged Gloucester St in Christchurch

Pictorial Overview of Earthquake Damage on Gloucester St, Christchurch November 2012

Nearly two years after the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch in February 2011, demolition is still underway in the CBD. A stroll down Gloucester St on Sunday 11th November 2012 resulted in the following images:

 Large parts of the city are now empty land awaiting the rebuild

 Restoration work on New Regent St

 Christchurch Cathedral

 Earthquake tourists

The Military still guard the Red Zone of Christchurch with public access restricted

 



Demolition of the QE2 Complex in Christchurch: A Pictorial Overview

Demolition is well underway at Christchurch's QEII Park Recreation and Sport Centre. The centre was built specifically to host the Commonwealth Games in 1974 and is a sad loss, not only to the people in the eastern suburbs, but to Christchurch as a whole. The pictures tell the story ...

Christchurch Aftershocks October 2012

Christchurch has been shaken by a series of noticeable aftershocks that kicked off with a 3.2 magnitude at 8:40pm on the 23^rd October. This was felt by many in the region with people commenting on Facebook and Twitter that it was an unwelcome reminder of the past. It was five kilometres deep and centred in the Cashmere Hills.

At 3:17am on the 24^th October, many people in the city awoke to feel the ground shaking again as a 4.0 magnitude quake struck. The sensation was described as a rolling and rattling and Geonet classed it as moderate. It was 8 kilometres deep and centred in the ocean east of New Brighton. It was followed 23 minutes later by a 3.3 aftershock.

Demolition continues in the Christchurch CBD and on the 23^rd October, the latest victim was the building that housed the Tap Room on the corner of Cashel Mall and Oxford Terrace. Shoppers in the Restart Zone paused to watch as a digger pulled chunks of brickwork and masonry apart. The Tap Room was a popular bar and restaurant and was always busy at lunchtimes with people dining outside and enjoying the view of the River Avon.

A Walk through Earthquake-Damaged CBD of Christchurch

They'll rebuild the old ruins,
   raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They'll start over on the ruined cities,
   take the rubble left behind and make it new.
Isaiah 61:4 The Message

These pictures were taken on a walk through Christchurch central on Sunday 5 August 2012. Natural disasters make international news for a week or two - but are soon forgotten or people assume the area has recovered. These pictures of Christchurch CBD, 17 months after the February 2011 earthquake show the reality. The devastation is widespread - but there are new buildings going up and people have hope for the rebuild.