Christmas Eve Shakes in Christchurch

On the 24th December 2014, Christchurch was shaken by a 4.0 earthquake at 7:43pm. This was felt strongly across the city and residents reported noticeable movement, banging and shaking. It was followed at 8:46pm by a 3.3 which was preceded by a noise and then a strong jolt. They were centred in different parts of the city and surrounds as shown on Canterbury Quake Live.

Canterbury has a history of aftershocks in the festive season with a swarm of shakes hitting the city on Boxing Day in 2011 and closing down the city centre. On Christmas Eve 2011, a 5.1 earthquake followed by several of magnitude 4 and over closed malls and left some people without power and water.

4th September 2010 - Remembering the 7.1 Magnitude Christchurch

Used by permission of David Shone - with thanks.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

4th September 2010 - Remembering the 7.1 magnitude Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake - 4th Anniversary, Thursday 4th September, 2014. Ferial Day

The 4th September, 2010, 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake - The Day that Changed Christchurch Forever & The Question of HAARP(Part Two)




When time changed people's lives forever - New Brighton, Christchurch, N.Z.

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Part One - My Story

 

I had mixed feelings about writing and putting together this blog relating my experience in dealing with the earth-shattering events that overtook us exactly 4 years ago, on the 4th September, 2010, a day that changed our lives, dramatically and quite unexpectedly, and that would set in motion a train of events that would drag on for the next 2 years ... and for some, would eventually mean the reluctant retreat from a city they had grown to love and call home.

 

Those mixed feelings have finally been put to one side, as I now feel more strongly than I did shortly after the September quake, when my son commented ..."Do you think HAARP was involved?"  I had more or less shrugged my shoulders, with the suggestion that  "who knows?"  I probably gave it a 50/50 possibility at the time, but today, as more evidence and study has come to light, the notion that use of HAARP can cause massive earthquakes cannot be so easily discounted, and I would rate my confidence level today to be well in excess of 70/30 ...

 

Prelude to Saturday 4th September

 

 

    Friday 3rd September - Hail Shower welcomes in spring flower display



Friday 3rd September, 2010


I note in my weather diary that a light hail shower around 4:30pm, resulted in a rapid temperature drop from a spring-like 13.0 deg C  down to 4.5 deg C.   A light dusting of snow was also observed on Mt. Herbert ( Banks Peninsula) about this time, and with a rapid clearance, a promise of a frost seemed most likely for the next day. 

I was feeling pretty pleased with my daffodil display by the front gate entrance, after just under two years in our new home in New Brighton Road, New Brighton, which previous owners had had the foresight to plant, and me to enjoy!      

I was fortunate to be now living in a city that hosted the Ellesmere Garden Show, and inspired by that knowledge and a love of gardening, my landscaping was taking shape rapidly in less than the two years my family had moved in to the New Brighton Property residence...

             Ellerslie Flower Show, Christchurch 2009 - 'A Gentleman's Garden'

Unfortunately, many of my photos have been lost as a result of the 6.3 February, 2011 quake, when both computers were destroyed and to date have been unable to locate them in cyberspace!

Plans of Mice and Men

However, pictures taken before the February Quake show the garden pretty much in their former glory ... enjoy, for they are no longer with us, the property being Red-Zoned in 2012, and so now all you will see is a blank space!!!

Front Garden 523 New Brighton Rd

 

Back section including vegetable garden and fruit trees developing

Flower Bed alongside Driveway

           Developing Back Garden and Landscaping

                                Starting to look pretty

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The 'Plans of Men' - Saturday the 4th September, 2010

 

As noted the previous day, Saturday promised to be a fine day ... however, nature (?) had other plans for our Saturday morning rising, and the expected frost wasn't one of them!

 

An Unwelcome 4:35 am Saturday Early Call

Some have described it as a rude awakening, but to both my son and myself, initially it was just a gentle shaking out of our deep sleep, and having experienced earthquakes in the past, tried to simply ignore it, as it wasn't at all violent at least for the first few seconds, and besides the prospect of jumping out of a warm bed on a frosty Saturday morning wasn't on my priority list at the time ... but no, it seemed to be getting worse and the 'gentle shaking' was rapidly turning into a rocking motion and getting more violent by the second! [ the actual quake lasted around 30 - 45 seconds - that's long for a big earthquake]   The prospect of the house coming down on me was quickly becoming a reality ... So ...

'Time to vacate the house' I decided, forgetting all about leaving my nice warm cocoon, and I headed down the hallway towards the back door ( the power must have cut off by this time, because I think I tried the lights, but nothing).    I met my son heading down the hallway making a beeline for the front door ... He had obviously decided 'discretion was the better part of valour' - and avoiding a collision we both made it safely out the front door into the driveway ( that's where you go when you have earthquakes, isn't it!)

This wasn't a time for standing under the nearest doorway-type of earthquake!

 

Early Morning Vigil As We Await First Light To Survey Damage

Standing in the driveway, in the early morning frost, I tried to make out objects in the pre-dawn light, and was able to see water across the road outside our front gate reflecting in the street lights.   I  re-entered the house and found a torch, my shoes and dressing gown and returned outside.   The camera would have to wait until the sun came up, which it did to give a mainly fine sunny day [see photos].

Initial Survey of Damage

We soon discovered we had no water besides no power, which would come back on in the afternoon.   We were without water for 13 days, but were fortunate to have a neighbour who had a spring supplying fresh artesian unfluoridated/unchlorinated water!

As soon as the sun made it's welcome appearance we were able to quickly assess the damage and it was substantial as the following pictures portray.     Although we appeared to have suffered a major hit, a walk a little way down the road towards the New Brighton shopping centre showed little damage, and was a few days later was able to travel westward into the suburbs of Papanui and Fendalton, where my family home was located in the 1950's - it sustaining only an apparent dislodged chimney. [see attached photos] 

 

     Family Home of the 1950's - Slight Earthquake Damage Only

These and other suburbs to the west and northwest of Christchurch appeared to have escaped any damage in the September quake.

      Northwestern Suburbs of Bryndwr/Fendalton after the September quake - unscathed

Certainly, after the 6.3 February earthquake areas in New Brighton that escaped any significant damage in 4th September quake, had their fortunes reversed in February, so that today many of those Red -Zoned properties on New Brighton Rd have been cleared!

Aftershocks(?) - there were many

 

We should mention those, and whether they were or simply more earthquakes, maybe we will never know?

 

But, as I noted in my weather diary for the month of September, 2010 ...'100's of aftershocks with a 5.1 magnitude on the 6th September, with the exception of 1 or 2 days only.'

Reality of the September Quake for Eastern Christchurch Residents in Contrast - Pictorial Display

 

Here are some of the pictures taken (in chronological order as I can best recall), once daylight permitted us to record damage on Day 1 of the big quake:

 

 

First Glimpse of the aftermath of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake

First Light Day 1 - New Brighton Road under water (from burst pipes/ adjacent damaged pump station)

Pump Station - out of commission permanently, as it releases a river of water

Day 1 of the Big Quake- Heralds a nice sunny day with 'water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!'... mainly onto New Brighton Rd ...

Picture taken before the Quakes hit Christchurch showing New Brighton Rd pre-quake

Damaged Road adjacent to damaged pump station with signs of Liquifaction

   Severely damaged sidewalk outside front fence on New Brighton Rd - Liquefaction evident

Flooding from Pump Station and tidal surge as land subsidence occurs after the quake

Day 1 - It's only going to get worse!

           Lunar Landscape  - Liquifaction in front lawn

Bexley Petrol Station showing force of the 7.1 Earthquake

        New Brighton Health Shop after the 7.1 Quake

         Avon River at the Loop showing river bed upheaval

        Man in the Hole attempting to turn off valve from pump station - 'Manhole'

 

Damaged Presbyterian Church in Merivale - un-inspiring

 

 

Home-made seismometer - reassuring handy item in earthquake prone regions

 

 

Much improved version of the above - prevents evaporation

 

 

 

People at work and at play a few days after the big quake - New Brighton

Max and Sammi testing the waters on New Brighton Rd

       My neighbors doing a bit of gardening - earthquake style

Friendly New Brighton folk just voluntarily turn up and  'muck-in' the clean-up (de-liquefaction!)

End Of Day 1 of the Big Quake

Sunset on New Brighton Road - Not the End of a Perfect Day 1!

Photo from Google map sometime before buildings and land cleared in Red- Zoned 523 New Brighton Rd [approx. 2011 -2012]

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Part Two - A Funny Thing happened on The Way to The Earthquake/s - HAARP

 

What is Haarp?

High Frequency Active Auroral Research Programme - an ionospheric research programme jointly funded by the U.S. Airforce, the U.S. Navy, the University of Alaska, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA)

 

What does HAARP do

 

Quite a bit - and not all good!      Haarp is a scientific endeavour aimed at studying the properties and behaviour of the ionosphere, with particular emphasis on being able to understand and use it to enhance communications and surveillance systems for both civilian and defence purposes ...

 

The United States Congressional record deals with the use of HAARP for penetrating the earth with signals bounced off the ionosphere.   These signals are in order to locate underground munitions, minerals and tunnels.      The problem is the frequency needed for earth penetrating radiation is within the frequency most cited for disruption of human mental functions.

 

This super powered ionospheric heater could control weather and has already been used for such purposes.    HAARP takes huge amounts of energy directed at the ionosphere and bounces it back to earth, disrupting the magnetic field and can cause massive earthquakes...

                    Aerial view of HAARP site in Alaska

 

But not in New Zealand, surely?

            View of HAARP facility near Christchurch - very interesting is it not?

Christchurch Earthquake Book on Promotion

Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3 is a compilation of true life experiences of men, women and children who lived through the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. With the approaching third anniversary of the 6.3 earthquake that devastated Christchurch, the Kindle version of the book has been reduced from $4.99 to 99 cents for the last two weeks of February.

Christchurch Cardboard Transitional Cathedral

The stone neo-Gothic Christchurch Cathedral was badly damaged in the 22nd February 2011 earthquake and to date, still stands in ruins, its future undecided. A Japanese architect by the name of Shigeru Ban designed a new building with an expected life span of approximately 50 years. This was opened in August 2013 and continues to draw crowds of tourists as well as worshippers.

It is constructed from wood and steel with cardboard cylinders lining the polycarbonate roof. The floor is polished concrete and the cardboard theme is carried through the interior. Seating is rows of simple wooden chairs with padded cream cushions. The overall effect is one of light and beauty and this is enhanced by the coloured glass window over the entrance. This consists of 49 panels and includes designs from the original Christchurch Cathedral's rose window.

The Transitional Cathedral has filled a hole in the hearts of Christchurch people and is a place where they can worship God, reflect on life and enjoy peaceful moments.