Three Years On

Is it really three years since our world was torn apart?

Since Christchurch, our provincial city, was shaken and shattered on 22 February 2011? 

Three years it is.

If you follow this blog, and others, like More Canterbury Tales, you will know that as well as loss, despair, and bureaucratic struggle there has also been a shift in social values and a remarkable release of creative energy.

These days as I hang out in the Pallet Pavilion, getting a taste for transitional architecture and listening to the Unlimited School Jazz band, I can't believe that I can feel so happy about the city as it re-invents itself. 

There is lateral thinking and wit everywhere...

whether it's the suggestion that the deserted Town Hall 

might not be... quite,

or that there's a bargain to be had.

The Christchurch Art Gallery brings its art out onto the street with exhibitions like 

Faces from the Collection.

Gap Filler projects go from strength to strength with installations like Gap Golf. Gap Golf takes the player on a reflective tour of demolition sites. Fairway to Heaven recalls the 

Crown Plaza Hotel built in the 1980s as the Park Royal, distinctive for its stepped silhouette. 

This huge lounge suite on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester Streets is part 

of a Gap Filler/Greening the Rubble collaboration:

Sound Garden.

Greenery and flowers soften harsh reality.

And behind all this are individuals, groups and organisations, working together with innovative and unfamiliar models for business. Sustainability and a city for the people are strong themes in the recovery. Initiatives such as the All Right campaign and Healthy Christchurch are specifically aimed at building emotional resilience and encouraging people around greater Canterbury to take care of themselves and each other.

This collection of thoughts is posted in the Re:Start shopping precinct. 

For everyone who ever donates to disaster relief and wonders whether it does any good, I can vouch that Red Cross funds have directly found their way to our family. Thank you! I understand that the Red Cross fund, which so many people around the world donated to, has been managed for long term re-settlement aid and building community resilience. Within months of the February 2011 earthquake a one-off travel grant was offered to all families who incurred extra travel costs when their children's schools were moved to different sites. Last year a Red Cross grant also allowed Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti to set up a Breakfast Club. The school decided to run it with the intention of fostering self-reliance, co-operation and emotional resilience. 

Here's Kitty with her drama teacher, Marlene, at the last Breakfast Club of 2013

And in case you were wondering... the work still goes on. This house in the suburbs is being re-piled. It is only a single level building but raised for work to progress underneath. This method for raising domestic dwellings has been developed since the earthquakes.

I've collected together some of the groups and organisations that have sprung up or adjusted their roles in the last few years, and given their links below. They have certainly contributed to the vibe and exhilaration that makes me happy to visit Christchurch.

Greening the Rubble

Gap Filler

Life in Vacant Spaces

Pallet Pavilion

The Student Volunteer Army 

Healthy Christchurch

All Right Well-being Campaign

NZ Red Cross 

Jeneane in the Pallet Pavilion: Photo by Kitty Jamison

Handy Andy and Jeneane on the astro turf sofa: Photo by Kitty Jamison

The Crown Plaza YouTube link is to a time lapse demolition video by Julian Vares.

Water, Water Everywhere

Maybe that title is a bit insensitive considering the flooding in England. Still it was a thought that crossed my mind last night driving through a torrential downpour in Rangiora, where the gutters were having trouble draining away the deluge. Many street corners were awash - though not needing boats to navigate them ...

I couldn't help thinking of the last few days of my extended summer holiday last year, spent by the sea...

Where tradition and modernity get on with their watery business;

Where reflections may or may not be of the watery kind;

And where boats ply watery streets as a matter of course.

Venice of course.

Wherever water is causing hardship and heartache, may there be relief and a safe haven not too far away.

A Birthday Picnic

Nearly a month since I last blogged; a national holiday to relax on; friends to catch up with... surely I can make time to post some snaps of a day at the beach?

Noreen had a birthday with a zero in it yesterday. She lives in Wellington but today she and her husband Dyk who is also my blog friend at Welly Jewell

were picnicking with Canterbury friends at Taylor's Mistake

 where quirky little holiday baches line the shore.

After dipping our toes in the tepid and very clear water, and watching a helicopter rescue operation on nearby clifftops

 it was time for birthday cake before boarding Gary's and Jane's house bus for the ride back to Christchurch.

And since today - Waitangi Day - commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, I should use the full bi-lingual name for the lovely bay we visited today Te Onepoto / Taylors Mistake.