Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand - 3 1/2 Years Later
Christchurch, New Zealand Earthquake Rattles City Center
My family has had the opportunity to learn more about the massive earthquake that shook Christchurch in February 2011. It didn't last long, but the aftermath was tremendous. The Christ Church that is in the center of the city was hit tremendously hard. Buildings all over the central part of the city are held up with scaffolding upon scaffolding. A lot of buildings are considered "condemned". The major condemned structure is the huge Rugby Stadium. This is almost the size of the Broncos Stadium. It is to be completely torn down and a new stadium to be built by...hopefully 2019.
We are still having aftershocks from this huge Earthquake and small Earthquakes seem to be making a weekly occurrence (although we haven't felt one yet!) This is actually how New Zealand was formed, and it is in the Ring of Fire of the Pacific Ocean.... Danger brings Beauty!
Christchurch Earthquake Aftermath
Kiwi People are Overcomers!
The Kiwi people in the area are major Over-comers however! I understand it was impossible to even enter the downtown area after the earthquake. Now, they have cleaned up so much, put scaffolding on buildings they are going to rebuild, and built up new areas for tourists to visit. It is still a lot of fun energy to go to the City Center In Christchurch!
Christchurch, New Zealand ReNew Projects
One of the clever areas is the Cardboard Cathedral. This is the Christ Church, an Episcopal Anglican church where the people can meet to worship while the main church is awaiting restructuring. We attended this past Sunday and enjoyed it a lot. My favorite part was when they recited the Lord's Prayer in Maori language (the natives of New Zealand). It was quite special. Another fun area is the ReStart Container Mall. This is an outdoor mall that has all kinds of fun shops and restaurants that we are enjoying. They also have the Cable Car (trolley as we call it in the US- but a trolley here is a shopping cart!) running through the town. The Hagley Park river runs alongside the City Center, so I imagine the Punting Boats will be rowing up and down the area soon too.
