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

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.

Aerial View of Earthquake-Damaged Christchurch CBD

The following images were taken during a helicopter flight over Christchurch on Saturday 26th May 2012. They show the large gaps left by the demolition of hundreds of buildings. The red zone of the city has been inaccessible to the public since the February 22nd earthquake in 2011.

Christchurch Aftershocks 25th May 2012

Following a few days of increased seismic activity, Christchurch experienced a 5.2 aftershock at 2:44pm on the 25 May 2012. It was centred in the sea between New Brighton and Sumner at a depth of 10 kilometres. The Mercalli scale registered it as VI meaning the following: Felt by everyone. Difficult to stand. Some heavy furniture moved, some plaster falls. Chimneys may be slightly damaged. Canterbury Quake Live reported it as the 30th biggest shake since the 7.1 earthquake on the 4th September 2010. It was followed by a number of smaller shakes.

Residents felt it as a wobbling and shaking with houses creaking and rattling as the movement continued. Facebook comments included the following:

Had all the lights swaying here on the hills
Strong quake in rangiora
That rocked for ages afterwards
I am shaking, that was so scary, heck it went on for ages
Just felt that one in Ashburton

The red zone of Christchurch was shut down soon after the quake as a safety measure.

Aftershocks are predicted to continue for some years to come.

Access to Christchurch Red Zone

Walkway to Cathedral Square Opened to the Public

CERA has initiated a walk through Cathedral Square with access from Colombo St. This is limited to 300 people per hour and will run weekends only starting 26th November and ending 11th December. Click here for full details on the walk way and times.

The Deconsecration of Earthquake-Damaged Christchurch Cathedral

On Wednesday 9th November 2011, a service was held in Cathedral Square to deconsecrate Christchurch Cathedral. This was in response to the pending controlled demolition of the church. The Cathedral is in the restricted red zone and invited guests and the media were taken in on buses. A roll call was taken to ensure that no one was left behind and people were given a saftey briefing of what to do in case of an earthquake occurring. Click here to read about the service and how people felt about seeing the devastated cathedral for the first time.

Red Zone Bus Tours in Christchurch 2011

Saturday 5th November 2011 was the day that Christchurch residents finally had the opportunity to see the earthquake-damaged centre of their city. This was through the Red Zone bus tours organised by Cera. The bus tours will be operating over weekends with buses running every ten minutes. A gold coin donation is requested and passengers are made aware that they are entering a dangerous area and further aftershocks and building collapse could result in their death.

Over 7000 people booked trips in the first four days and those on the first bus to go through the city said it was healing to see the damage with their own eyes. "It is hard to comprehend the scale of destruction until you've seen it firsthand." Click here for more information on the Red Zone tours and here for a description of the first bus ride through the city.

Large 5.5 Aftershock Rattles Christchurch on 9th October

On the 9th October, Christchurch experienced the eighth largest earthquake since the 7.1 magnitude shake on the 4th September 2010. It occured while the All Blacks were playing a Rugby World Cup quarter final against Argentina, in Auckland. The aftershock was felt widely across the South Island and provoked a slew of comments on Facebook. Click here for more details on the aftershock and its effects.