Quake memorial ready for unveiling

After much debate, the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial opens this week.

So how does it work? How should it be understood and visited?

Start at the 270-kilogram pounamu stone on Oxford Tce just downstream from Christchurch Hospital on the Avon River, said Bruce McEachen.

He is chair of the Quake Families Trust, which represents the families of the 185 people killed and those seriously injured in the February 22, 2011, earthquake, and has been deeply involved in the memorial for years.

The pounamu was gifted by Te Runanga o Makaawhio, a Ngai Tahu sub-tribe from the West Coast, as a ‘‘sign of the mana’’ given to the memorial by Maori. The greenstone was polished by Maori carver Fayne Robinson and plumbed to create a water feature representing the spiritual energy of water.

It’s a touchstone, said McEachen. Visitors are ‘‘very much encouraged’’ to dip their hands into the water and run their hands over the pounamu.

The central element – the memorial wall – is a short walk down a ramp to a terraced platform on the river.

The wall starts with a few paragraphs carved into the marble wall that describe what happened on that February day and pays tribute to the dead, the injured and the first responders. The names of the dead are likewise carved into the wall.

Grega Vezjak, an architect from Slovenia, won an international competition for the memorial’s design.

The memorial walkway is paved with basalt, the same material used at the river terraces further downstream.

The basalt terraces descend to the river and visitors are encouraged to ‘‘spiritually and physically connect with the River Avon’’, McEachen said.

Visitors can then cross the Montreal St bridge to the other half of the memorial.

‘‘Look across to the wall and think about your individual loss,’’ suggested McEachen. ‘‘We don’t necessarily mean just family members, we mean the 330,000 people who on February 22 experienced some form of loss.’’

– Fairfax NZ

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