Christchurch Earthquake Images - New Book

The city of Christchurch has changed dramatically over the last seven years as a result of the repeated earthquakes in the area. My latest book is a collection of photos starting from the morning of the 4th September 2010 earthquake through to June 2017 when I photographed the ruins of Christchurch Cathedral. The first few pages show before and after images of one of the intersections in town - illustrating how some areas have been rebuilt although there is still a lot of work to be done. Other shots include the devastation of homes on the cliffs, liquefaction, ruined roads, and the destruction in the city centre. The book will appeal to locals with many photos of familiar buildings and scenery and will give people from outside the area an idea of the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes.

Book Facts
Available on Kindle $2.99
Available on Amazon $15.00
Print book is 70 pages, full colour, 8.5"x11"

Christchurch Earthquake Images

Seeing Christchurch CBD through Tourist Eyes

After five years of covering Christchurch's earthquake devastation and the road to recovery, I ventured out to see how the city was being presented to tourists. Hassle-Free Tours were my hosts and the one hour tour was comprehensive and interesting. The vantage point of the open-top double-decker bus was excellent and gave me a new perspective of the city. Crumbling ruins still dominate some areas while in others, cranes and construction signal new life and growth. The giant "sand-pits" are still part of the landscape with many being used as temporary car parks. The commentary on the tour was very good and I learned several interesting things about the rebuild. Here are some of the photos I took on the tour.

Christchurch Cathedral Five Years after the Earthquakes

On February 22nd 2016, it will be five years since Christchurch central and surrounds were devastated by a 6.3 earthquake and numerous aftershocks. The Gothic-style Christchurch Cathedral was badly damaged in the shakes and has been standing in a state of disrepair ever since. Latest news reports say that a final decision about its future should be made in April 2016. Many hope that it will be restored to its former glory. At present, it stands fenced off with camera surveillance to stop people trespassing and entering the area. It still draws crowds who gaze through the fence and photograph it from every angle.

A Tale of Two Cathedrals

Vancouver is a beautiful city of rivers and lakes, high-rise glass buildings that reflect the sun, and snow-capped mountains. It's over 12,000 kilometres from Christchurch and in late April 2015, I boarded an aircraft to fly there for a few days.

To backtrack a few years, in 2012 I put together a book entitled Magnitude 7.1 & 6.3 which was a compilation of people's experiences about the Christchurch earthquakes. When searching for stories, I put word out on my Facebook page and a lady by the name of Diane Jones responded. At the time, Diane and I both wrote for a Canadian website by the name of Suite101 - now Suite.io. We emailed back and forward and it turned out that Diane was a member of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver.  On hearing of the earthquakes in Christchurch and the damage to our cathedral, the church community over there prayed for us and collected money to help the relief efforts in our city. Vancouver is situated on the ring of fire and also earthquake-prone so I felt a real connection to Diane - and her story touched my heart - and also made it into the book.

Once my trip was arranged, I sent Diane a message on Facebook. "I'm going to be in Vancouver for a few days. Would you like to meet up?" Her response was positive and a few weeks later, she and her husband, Frank, picked me up from my hotel. It was like visiting an old friend and stories flowed freely over a delicious lunch. Then Diane asked if I had any plans for the afternoon. On hearing that I didn’t, she made an offer. "Would you like to visit Christ Church Cathedral?" Of course I did and after a short drive and parking five storeys underground, we emerged onto the street a few metres from the church. Like our cathedral, the Vancouver building was built in the late 1800’s of stone Gothic construction, is situated in the heart of the city and each part of it is soaked in history. Ironically, it was surrounded by scaffolding when I visited as the roof was being replaced as part of earthquake-strengthening measures. If I had visited a week later, I would not have been able to enter the building.

As I walked through the doors, a sense of warmth engulfed me. This was more than just a stone church; it was home to a congregation who had cared enough to send an offering halfway around the world to a city and congregation on their knees. Diane and Frank showed me around the cathedral that was softly lit by lamps and light that filtered through magnificent stained glass windows. Wooden pews and chairs sat on a polished wood floor and dark beams supported the vaulted ceilings. I couldn’t help but think of our cathedral before the earthquakes. The weekly services, floral festivals, climbing the tower, magnificent views across Christchurch, the bells pealing out at New Year’s. I remembered the day the cathedral was deconsecrated and I was there in a journalistic capacity. It was a sad occasion as prayers were offered in front of the ruined building. Earthquake fences kept us from walking more than a few metres in any direction and people wept openly.

Many more memories wound through my mind as I walked through the cathedral in Vancouver and I prayed that their city be kept safe from earthquakes. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Canada and an experience I will always treasure. I came away humbled and realising how small the world is in many ways. That what happened in our little corner of the Southern Hemisphere has impacted people far beyond our borders. I will always have warm memories of our cathedral in Christchurch – and as a result of what happened here, I now have new friends in Vancouver and a heart full of memories of another cathedral and congregation that have touched my life.