How Does Christchurch Central Look Five Years after the February 22nd Earthquake

I seldom go into the central city these days but decided to spend the morning there and walk around with tourist eyes. It was good to see some new buildings around and others under construction, as well as some old beauties that have been fully restored . However, there are still masses of condemned buildings and large areas of what can only be described as waste land. Christchurch Cathedral stands surrounded by high fences and warning signs while other historic buildings are bolstered up by shipping containers. In the midst of all this, it's still possible to enjoy fine dining, do some shopping, grab a coffee and visit tourist attractions. I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story!

These aerial photos were taken as I came into land in Christchurch a few weeks ago. They show the few remaining high-rise buildings and large areas of land where structures have been demolished.

Christchurch Cathedral stands broken and lopsided but still draws thousands of visitors. Click here for more cathedral photos.

These are some examples of buildings that look as though they haven't been touched in five years.

And here are some buildings that are new, under construction, or have been restored ...

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.