Christchurch

Christchurch, known for its English heritage, is located on the east coast of NZ's South Island. Flat bottomed boats called punts glide on the Avon River, which curls through the city centre. On its banks are cycling paths, and the green expanse of parks and botanic gardens. In 2010, and 2011. earthquakes destroyed many historic stone built buildings, and 185 people lost their lives in the 2011 quake while 7000 where injured! The quake hit at a busy time during the work week...12:51pm. We spent part of a day at a museum called Quake City that was very informative and heartbreaking. We also drove around checking out a few of the devastated areas.

 The "Empty White Chairs" are symbolic for the the people who were killed in the 2011 earthquake. Each chairs represents a person who was killed. There are desk chairs, armchairs, kitchen chairs, highchairs, chairs for small children, carseats, rocking chairs, and so forth. It is an emotional experience to see these 185 empty chairs knowing that someone in the past sat in one of these chairs,  enjoyed life, had hopes and dreams, family, friends, and careers, until one awful devastating moment that changed this city forever.

Some buildings have been removed and now an empty space remains while others are in flux waiting and hoping for funds to help rebuild. This cathedral is one of those buildings. It lies in the heart of the city.

Some empty spaces have been filled with parking lots or parks, but one spot we heard about was turned into a container mall.