Christchurch marks 10 years since quake

CHRISTCHURCH: Various events across Christchurch are being held in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the February 22 earthquake this week.

It will be a chance for the community to gather in remembrance of the 185 people who died and reflect.

The 185 chairs installation, created by artist Peter Majendie, has been a place of commemoration for years.

This year, the installation has been relocated near the St Luke’s Anglican Church on the corner of Kilmore and Manchester Sts.

The organisers are asking if anyone is free and willing to pitch in today to repaint and position the chairs, and tidy up the grounds at the new site.

‘‘If anyone has a chair they would like to paint to add to the installation they could bring it on Saturday.’’

The Run to Remember also returns tomorrow. It is a 10km run and walk that has been held since 2012 in memory of those who died.

A civic memorial service will be held at 12.30pm on Monday, on the north bank of Oi Manawa, Canterbury National Earthquake Memorial.

GovernorGeneral Dame Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be there.

It will include a minute of silence.

For those unable to go, a livestream from the council is also expected. It will be shown on some screens at the central library, Turanga, as well as a large screen in a grassed area on the other side of Montreal St.

The Christchurch City Council (CCC) has worked with the Quake Families Trust on the programme for the service, which is set to acknowledge all those affected by the quakes and those who helped in the aftermath.

‘‘We are mindful that the Covid19 pandemic means that many people who would normally travel to Christchurch for the 10th anniversary of the earthquake will be unable to do so,’’ CCC civic and international relations manager Matt Nichols said.

In terms of traffic, Montreal St — from Tuam St to Cambridge Tce — will be closed from 9am to 4pm. The Memorial Wall will not be open to the public from noon until the end of the service.

For those planning on travelling to the service by public transport, the Bus Interchange is only a 10minute walk from the Memorial Wall. A parking area has been set aside for bikes.

Oi Manawa is situated next to the Avon River and displays the names of those who died in the quake.

People can lay tributes at the Memorial Wall or throw their unwrapped floral tributes in the Avon River following the civic service.

The River of Flowers, created by Michelle Whitaker Evan Smith, will be back again.

There have been up to 20 River of Flowers sites along Canterbury waterways, where people write notes of hopes, drop flowers into the river, and hold two minutes of silence at 12.51pm.

The former Canterbury Television (CTV) building site — where 115 people died — is another open memorial space for people to gather for commemoration and reflection.

The site, on the corner of Madras and Cashel Sts, was opened as a memorial on February 22, 2018.

Locals can also head over to Quake City, the Canterbury Museum’s special exhibition about the quakes, where there will be free admission.

Recent additions to the exhibition include a sculptural wall of orange road cones in the entry area and a slideshow of buildings, artworks, and streetscapes, showing how Christchurch has changed in the decade since the earthquakes.

Several Cantabrians who recount their experiences in the film 12.51, which runs in the exhibition, have been reinterviewed and feature in a new short film, reflecting on how their lives have changed in the past decade.

A free music event, Otautahi Together, will be held on Sunday, February 28, from 2pm to 4pm. It will feature Bic Runga plus special guests performing on the Archery Lawn in Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

This event will also be livestreamed, according to the council.