Sewer repair reveals historic Colombo Street

Colombo Street in front of the motel is one of the oldest parts of Christchurch.   Over the past 2 months it has had its sewer repaired as part of the ongoing quake recovery programme and this has revealed to us some of the history of the street and the area.  When the city was first laid out around 1850, the block between Salisbury St. and Bealey Ave. was to be reserve land for use later on but it was in fact sold off earlier than planned, later in the 1950s, to provide funds for the city.  The sewer lines were laid in the 1880s and were followed by tram lines around 1910. Wharetiki, the large Edwardian timber dwelling across the road that was photographed by many people who walked past until it was demolished after being damaged in the quakes, was built in 1904. 

The series of quakes that rattled the region beginning in September 2010 caused as much damage below ground as it did above.    Sewer pipes, storm water pipes, water pipes and power cables have been ripped apart to varying degrees across the city.  The race is now on the repair the damage before it causes more problems.

 The engineer in charge of the repairs told us that while the sewer pipes in this area did not collapse in the quakes - we could still use our toilet – they were badly cracked and this has resulted in ground water flooding into the sewer pipes. This causes problems at the waste treatment station which now has to run overtime to treat the sewage and groundwater mix.  The race is on to repair the sewer pipes before the treatment station wears out from overuse!

As the road works crept along the street we were actually able to see the city’s history right in front of us as the tram tracks buried under the road became visible.  It was great to see a bit of yesteryear seeing the light of day again and reminded us of Christchurch’s past.  It’s been 60 year’s since trams ran over these lines and it leaves us wondering if one day in the future there will once again be trams carrying passengers up and down Colombo Street!




Photo of a tram on Colombo street from 1920s. --->>> http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/22514/electric-tram

42 Things To Do in Christchurch

We love working away here in the motel office while listening to MIKE YARDLEY’s CANTERBURY MORNING Monday  to Thursday.  Its fast paced, honest and Mike asks the hard questions when they need asking!

One of today’s topics was “Essential Christchurch. What are the 30 great things to see and do in Christchurch?”  Lots of people rang in and talked mainly about local attractions but we thought there must be some “only now in Christchurch things” and came up with the quintessential list of 42 things everyone should do while here. Actually we came up with 41 things to do and Jeff's Aunty - a Residential Red Zoner - proposed the 42nd. thing to do which sits at 41 on the list.

Every visitor should do all these things……. which CAN be done!

• Visit the site of the Cardboard Cathedral.
• Stand in front of Museum and pray it opens soon.
• Walk round the Red Zone.
• Support a business within 1 block of the Red Zone.
• Visit Re:Start Container Mall.
• Use the 2 hr. free City Council car park.
• Watch a demolition!
• Eat in a container!
• Drink a coffee or beer in a Container!
• Pee in a container.
• Shop in a container.
• Listen to NewstalkZB morning show with Mike Yardley.
• Take a picture of a road cone.
• Decorate a road cone.
• Walk through the Gardens.
• Get a picture of the biggest truck with “DEMOLITION” written on the side.
• Vote to save the Cathedral.
• Take a picture in front of the large RWC Cup in Hagley Park.
• Go Punting.
• Feel an earthquake.
• Feed the ducks, and eels in the Gardens.
• Get great NZ cheese at Canterbury Cheesemongers.
• Buy an earthquake momento – postcard of demoed building, aftershock socks or T-shirt etc.
• Eat at a rebuilt restaurant.
• See the White Lights of Hope at night.
• Take a bus tour and see the city.
• Talk to a local about their earthquake experience.
• Try and work out who is the boss in Christchurch; Bob, Gerry Warwick or Roger.
• Go to a café in the day and a gay nightclub at night in the same building.
• Take a picture in front of the HSBC building – the real seat of power in Christchurch.
• Look down Colombo St from Peterborough St to the remains of Cathedral Spire.
• Look down Worchester St from the river to see the remains of the Cathedral.
• Turn your GPS off & don’t eat while driving to safely navigate the Red Zone and road closures.
• Visit & experience a Gap Filler project.
• Say Hi to the Town Crier.
• Take 5 and enjoy and support a busker.
• Drive or bus out to Sumner.
• Drive or Bus out to Lyttleton
• Go to Deans Bush & feel the history.
• Visit a local market.
• Take time to walk through some of the residential red zone to gain an understanding of why people have to move.
• Stay in a Motel.

It’s been a good day!

Today has been a busy day on the Motel front with a wide range of good news rolling in…..

Lonely Planet has released its new, post-quake Christchurch & Canterbury chapter from the upcoming Lonely Planet New Zealand guide,
 

We are there on Page 12 between the Jailhouse and The George.  Look at that! 3 top accommodation providers from different genres all together - ranging from $30 to $886!! Jailhouse – Top Backpacker, CentrePoint on Colombo – Top Motel, The George – Top Hotel!  Will also mention Orari B&B – Top B&B just to our left!! 
We congratulate Lonely Planet on producing a comprehensive guide to post quake Christchurch that can easily be said to be the best guide to our new city at time of printing!!  Most noticeable is that they have shown the central city area is alive and well and very much a place to visit!!
We are proud to be recognised in this way by one of the world’s top travel magazines and look forward to welcoming LP users to Christchurch!

A recent traveller, (Trip Advisor name; OmNomNomDePlume) who found us on twitter and drove in with ½ the South Island on his car reviewed us on Trip Advisor in probably one of the longest reviews we’ve ever had!!  It kinda summed up a lot of what we do and recognised the effort we put into helping the travelling public get the most out of their visit to Christchurch.  Made us laugh and smile! Have a read….here

Received the latest update for our all new motel website that we are working on.  Starting to come on nicely and that gave us an extra little buzz!!  Sorry but it’s all under wraps till we can get it together……..stay tuned.

Gotta live the good times and we did indeed today!!

Re:START

 

It’s been 8 months since we could walk in central Chistchurch.  We did that today, we smiled and felt happy, we felt at home and felt proud of what our city is.  It’s been a while, it’s been a while.

(Haven't seen this side for 8 months)

 

After getting back to the motel we checked in some guests from Singapore and we were so excited being able to tell them that for the 1^st time in 8 months we had shops in the city. Understandably they were no doubt wondering why but we’re sure they will see what we mean once they have been for a walk.

 (Colourful!!)

 

Check the Re:START map out here http://multimedia.stuff.co.nz/thepress/restart/restart3.pdf

About 10,000 people turned up and the closing time of 6pm was extended due to the number of people still in the shops.

 (The shelves are a giveaway, yes, it's Johnson's!)

 

Its been done in a tasteful way and if it were not for the tram tracks and obvious surrounding buildings, one could be forgiven for not knowing it was Cashel St.

The 27 shops made out of brightly coloured shipping containers stacked on top of each other is sure to become a destination in itself – you must come and see it!

Anchored by Ballantynes Department Store and backed up by Kathmandu in normal buildings the container shops range from a variety of fashion shops, a bank where foreign currency can be exchanged, a souvenir shop, a book shop and 2 licensed cafes as well as others!

 (The new and the old, the short and the tall)

 

Was great to see Johnson’s Grocery back.  That’s the little English style shop that was  just up the road from us.  The great news is that he does intend to rebuild on the old site! 

 (Locals look longingly at still forbidden fruit)

 

Obviously lacking is an internet café, convenience store and a place to buy a simcard! Hopefully they’ll get there soon!

 (Fluro Bear enjoys his CBD shopping experience)

 

The other positive was that today the surrounding demo sites were silent, the sun was shining and there was no wind to stir up that horrid dust. Would be nice if it stayed that way.

 (Fluro bear is on the motel counter ready to guide guests to Re:START 2011)

 

It was great to see so many happy people milling around the tills making that till sound, but also spotted were one drunk person being escorted away by police, a protest march (walk) and buskers making a buck – just like what a CBD should be like.  

Today we got our city centre back.

Thanks for thinking of us in Christchurch

It’s been another interesting day here in Christchurch with 2 shakes, one of magnitude 5.5 and the other a 6.  We’d like to take this chance to say thanks to all those who have sent their best wishes to us and to say that we are still standing tall!

The smaller quake came first followed by the larger one just an hour or so later.  Both were centred just at the edge of Banks Peninsular.  Thankfully no-one was killed and this can be attributed to the decision to block off the inner city until the area can be made safe.  On the not so good side, the Cathedral and other buildings have suffered further.

The full extent of damage will become clearer tomorrow but there is widespread liquefaction damage in the eastern suburbs and there were more rock falls in Sumner.

We had minor superficial damage, which means things fell over scratching on walls etc. and we lost water for about 4 hours.  Talking about water, after a hard day we had just a little bit of fun, tipping out the dirtied well water we got as a back-up and videoed it cos that’s what we do!   

Dalai Lama – a message of positivity at CBS Arena

Today the Dalai Lama dropped into Christchurch on his way to Australia for a planned visit.  He said it was meeting Hillary all those years ago that gave him the chance to become friends with many New Zealanders.  He said that when friends are in trouble, you try to help them and that is why he is here.

It could almost be said that it was a hard ask.  How do you comfort people who have lost so much?  But he spoke of using intelligence to find positivity.  He spoke of how the feeling of loss for those left behind is real and strong but that there was a need to hold onto something precious and somehow find a positive way forward. 

He said that often in these circumstances some people did not like the word death being used but that death this was not a taboo word.  He said that life has a start and an end and we all experience both.  It’s just that some experience the end earlier than others.  He said that we need to be aware of that and be prepared for it, and that if we did that we could enjoy our lives. 

He also spoke about how the earthquake was not caused but just happened and this was also part of life.  In terms of how to move forward positively, he urged everyone to think of others around them – around the world – and invoked the disasters in Japan and Haiti.

When asked what was the best way to rebuild Christchurch, he said “I don’t know, that is up to you, I’m leaving tomorrow!”  The crowd happily laughed.

The crowd was put at 5000 and it would have been all that.  It started with the Dalai Lama personally meeting and offering condolences to those who had lost someone.  And he then received a Maori welcome including a hongi. 

Before he spoke he was introduced by a Tibetan member of the local community.  

I expected the Dalai Lama to sit at his chair and talk but he came up to the lectern and stood and spoke for about 30 minutes.  Admittedly sometimes it was hard to follow some words but he did warm into it.  His language assistant did an amazing job, following every word and instantly offering the correct English word when needed.  We were then treated to a Buddhist Mantra which ended with “that’s the end just a short one!” The crowd was buoyed by these sporadic humorous interludes which underscored his message of positivity.

There was then a presentation of gifts from 2 schools, one local and one from Wanaka.  Aspiring School in Wanaka has been studying Tibet and presented a book of poems and some edible Lotus flowers.  In one of many spontaneous acts, the Dalai Lama opened the box and handfed the 2 pupils a petal each.  He then had one himself before hand feeding Bishop Victoria and the Iwi representative.  He then spoke at length to the pupils about how they had the role of taking the world into this century, that the time of us older people was over and of the responsibility they, as new guardians, held.

That was just so amazing to witness and once again summed up the reason he was here, to give us hope by looking positively to the future.  After presenting the pupils with a white scarf each it was time for the Hongi and the second girl was praised for being well endowed for this – she had a very large nose! A most interesting comment but given by the Dalai Lama in his spirit of positivity it should be a wonderful memory for the rest of this pupils life.

And for that the Dalai Lama’s gets a positive “like” from me.  It was an honour to be able to participate and directly receive his message of positivity for Christchurch.

Did we need to do this???

Its 11.50pm but I need to get this out,

Cordon reduction is a big thing. I can say that cos we were cordoned and curfewed for 18 days after 222.  The difference between cordon and not cordoned is almost like being alive or dead.  You either can or you can’t and so it is a biggie.

After 222 we were released from cordon the day of the Japanese quake/tidal wave and on that day the barriers moved to Salisbury St.  After that they went to Peterborough St. Today they moved 1 more block to Kilmore St.

 

What can be said, this is as bad as it can get. This block was one of the most lively blocks in Christchurch with 25 retailers ranging from food to antiques, culture to hair and coffee to sushi.  Now there are 6? left.

The cordon opened at 5pm tonite so I took a walk to see what there was.  After 222 I was able to walk down, under cordon, to Peterborough St. to see the carnage but I dared not go further.  That became impossible as the police tightened their cordon grip.  The next time I got that close was when the cordon moved to Peterborough st. Admittedly before then I saw a pic on twitter of a bare space of land where Metro café was but it didn’t really prepare me for what I saw today.

The street as been opened, but apart from a beaurocratic victory lap I cannot, for the life of me, see why they did it. They wanted to open the road to show progress?  No wonder people who are still cordoned are really pissed.  This is because there is absolutely no reason to open this road today. THERE IS NOTHING THERE.  The only thing I could see was the Scenic Hotel on Kilmore St. but that apparently still needs work before it can open.  There are a couple of other places but they also need work before they can open.  It would be better just to open it to those building owners  and keep others away.  That would at least give them a chance to get things sorted out.

But its open, even though there’s nothing there. Here’s what I saw.

LYME Cocktail Bar is still standing – by itself – thai pho to the right has gone, café Valentino to the left….has gone.

Eirily the pavement outside café valentine that had the outside seats is still there but everything else has gone – memorabilia and all.

A hurricane fence straddles the centre line of Colombo St.  The street is covered in mud and grime – looking more like a warzone.

The city centre is grim in the overcast conditions and the traffic lights flashing orange spell danger.

The biggest building on the block is still blocked.

Anyone can walk almost right up to the condemned Copthorne Durham.

Ending on a positive note, Himalayas progress is good!

At night – a new light has been added to the city, yellow light in the middle is traffic light at cnr of Kilmore/Colombo.

Opening up the city is good and welcome it.  But it is disappointing that so little is left.

Cordon reduction reveals more……

Today the Zone 6 cordon moved back one street and Zone 4 was opened so I decided to take a look. It was smelly, shocking and somewhat demoralizing.

View from over the wire, the digger is sitting atop of what's left of Cafe Valentino

  

View through the wire, a devaststed cityscape

Smelly, I went to the corner of Colombo & Peterborough Sts. and from there the smell from the rotten food in the nearby shops and restaurants was loud and clear.  The other noticeable thing was the dirtiness of the whole area.  When we were cordoned and curfewed for 18 days after 222, there were repeated sweeps of the streets by street cleaners and so by the time the cordon was reduced, the opened up area was pretty much as clean as it has always been! But today was totally different, it’s a mess, a total mess.  Yes, the town has been opened up but there is so much crap lying around everywhere, no-one would really want to go there. Sure its early days but a lot of work needs to be done here.
I went down Peterborough St. from Colombo St. to Madras St. and was shocked.  It was truly amazingly sad what has happened, the land and building damage was mind boggling, the whole street and every building has been affected - nothing is straight anymore.

The upper west side of Strawberry Fare has peeled off..... 

Shocking and demoralizing, I went to see what was left and was expecting to see Strawberry Fare in a state that would be ready to reopen soon.  From what I had seen soon after the quake, from my exclusive view inside the cordon, the building looked ok.  But that was from the east.  Today I saw the building from the west and it became clear that one of our favourite restaurants would not be opening for some time.  The east-west shaking of the quake had peeled away large sections of the western side of the building leaving it looking sadly disfigured.  Shocking and demoralizing, as the signs say, EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT and ROAD CLOSED!

Lots of red, white & black but no sign of the army boys here!

Looking at the block along Colombo St. between Peterborough and Kilmore Sts. It does not look good.  Starting at the corner of Peterborough and Colombo St. where the Thai Pho restaurant was and working around the street, this is how it goes.  Thai Pho – demolished. Lyme Bar – damaged but standing. Café Valentino – demolished, Art gallery, Scottish Shop, Chinese restaurant – to be demolished for sure, 2^nd hand store, Sushi Shop & Whiskey Galore – building looking ok! Johnson’s Grocer, Metro Café – demolished, Sala Thai/2 antique shops/thai massage/hair dresser/dairy/Baiyok Thai Restaurant – all surely beyond repair.  Thai Smile – will be open as soon as possible.  Boutique dress shop – demolished.  Building with hair designer on street level – badly damaged.  By golly the street is going to change no matter what happens because it has to, there’s hardly anything left!

Early Childhood Building from the North-West (above) and the South-East (below)

The Casino is hoping to open by the end of May - great to see the lights on!

I then went up the Casino area and was once again surprised to see the damage.  Whole swaths of the street front are either gone or partially demolished.  On the good side, the lights were on at the casino and they have gaudy but impressive signage up advertising the reopening.  The lights at the Casino stayed on into the evening……nice touch guys nice!

The Casino once again lights up the Christchurch skyline - looks nice cos its our skyline!
 

I must also mention Himalayas, our favourite Indian restaurant.  The ½ rebuilt building was wrecked again on 222 but amongst the rubble I could still find the “Opening Soon” sign. We do look forward to them opening soon!

 

Himalayas, destroyed after the September quake, was being rebuilt only to be beaten to the finish line by the 222 quake.

Hope amongst the carnage.  Today was a reality check as it was apparent that there is just so much more work to do even in this part of the city.  We look forward to more hope and less carnage as the days move on.