Christchurch: R.I.P.

As I write this, I am sitting in a hotel room in Christchurch NZ waiting to find out whether we leave for Antarctica (the "Ice") this morning or night. This is the third morning spent waiting like this. Each day I get up at about 4 AM, report to the front desk for a shuttle to the airport, and so far, while waiting, get a phone call from Raytheon (the government contractor operating McMurdo) that we aren't going today.  The weather in McMurdo has been very windy lately, so there are white-out conditions, which make landing a plane dangerous.  (See the McMurdo link to the right for the station webcam.)

Allergy-inducing beauty

So we wait in Christchurch. You are probably thinking "Geez, tough luck! Springtime in New Zealand, with pine forests to hike in, tons of flowers in bloom, and the wonderful city of Christchurch to explore!" Well, you are partially justified in your facetiousness.  I spent my first day walking around the botanical gardens, and my second hiking out of town. (I love the flowers, but so do my allergies.)  Yesterday I joined my colleagues for a short sailing trip in a bay near the town of Lyttleton. (See http://www.jacktarsailing.co.nz)  But Christchurch itself is merely a shadow of its former self.

Jolly Jack Tar Sailing

There have three major earthquakes and countless minor tremblers here over the past year. It started a year ago September.  That was bad, with many buildings damaged, but it was only practice for what happened February 22: a shallow earthquake measuring around 6 on the Richter scale that devastated the city.  Almost 200 people were killed. The once thriving downtown is now referred to as the "Red Zone" and is completely cordoned off.  Every tall building you see is destined to become landfill out in Lyttleton as the dock there is increased in size.  The whole city center was destroyed. The damage here would be major news were it not overshadowed by the much worse quake and tsunami that hit Japan a week later.  To add insult to injury, yet another earthquake hit in June, toppling many already-damaged buildings and damaging even more. As one resident put it, "There's no reason to go downtown anymore, except that there is finally plenty of parking."

All these tall buildings must come down.

So Christchurch as I knew it is gone.  But along the lines of "the king is dead, long live the king," something is emerging from the rubble.  After clearing out a section of the Red Zone, the locals installed a tasteful-looking shopping area created from shipping containers.  It is more a testament to the unquenchable Kiwi spirit than a viable shopping district. But it is a start at restoring something that approaches normal.  Meanwhile, residents are becoming non-residents at an alarming rate. The city's population is shrinking as the suddenly unemployed seek jobs elsewhere in New Zealand and Australia.

Christchurch downtown.

Christchurch as landfill.

Meanwhile, hotel rooms are at such a premium that I am paying high prices and am forced to have a roommate.  Oh well. Practice for McMurdo, I guess, where a roommate is required.

It's not quite 6AM now, so I won't learn whether we fly down today or not for another couple hours.