Christchurch: Idyllic city recovering from earthquake
A late summer Saturday punting the Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand, lay before us. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat that carries six to eight passengers lounging on cushioned seats and is propelled by a Venice-type gondolier, sans the music.
The Avon is not a river of the type seen crashing down mountains and roaring over rocks in the wilds of New Zealand's South Island. Here in the heart of Christchurch on the country’s southeast coast, the Avon is a shallow, clear, meandering body of water where oak, chestnut and willow trees drape gracefully and offer a hint of the fall colors to come.
Blankets were in order this morning with temperatures dipping into the low 60s and the sun had yet to achieve its role of heat producer. Snuggled into our boat, we glided silently past botanical gardens and green lawns where geese fluffed their feathers.
A flotilla of mallards escorted us as we silently glided under arched stone bridges.
Christchurch is known as the Garden City. With its parks, gardens, stone cottages, roses and Gothic architecture one could easily mistake it for a quaint English town. The spell of the idyllic place we carried with us from the Avon was soon broken as we boarded a private tram ride into the city center.
On Feb. 22, 2011, at a bit after noon, a devastating earthquake tore through the city and suburbs. Its epicenter was in the central part of the city. Nearly 200 people were killed and 70 percent of the inner city was destroyed. Well over 80 percent of those structures were heritage buildings.
Our tram ride showed us gravel and empty parking lots where high rises, businesses and hotels once stood. Colleges, schools and churches were so damaged they no longer could be used, and remain a sad reminder of what is yet needed to rebuild this lovely city. The Christchurch cathedral is in shambles as court battles rage over whether to preserve it. Considering what still needs to be done, it could take 20 years and cost more than the country can afford.
On a lighter note, we finished our visit in a lovely private home, hosted by Gloria and Ed, he an attorney and she a wonderful cook who fed us roasted lamb, veggies, potatoes, New Zealand wine and their national dessert pavlova, a creamy, caloric concoction of meringue and fruit.
What an incredible day in a part of the world which has to be on our top 10 favorite places to come back to.