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<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223882432/" title="170723_172740_0220 View From A Room 2 (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223882432_938fb31a98_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_172740_0220 View From A Room 2 (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Novotel Christchurch, 52 Cathedral Square, Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> Early in this gallery I showed a shot from our room's window, showing the Southern Alps off in the distance.<br /> <br /> Here's a second and final one, this time showing the Alps silhouetted by the setting sun behind them.<br /> <br /> It was time to get ready for dinner in the hotel restaurant, for the next day we had an early start to take a guided tour around the greater Christchurch area.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55224950263/" title="170723_172449_0212 Take A Seat (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55224950263_fa93845d11_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_172449_0212 Take A Seat (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> It's almost certainly street art rather than being intended for functional use. It's oversized furniture. It's covered in artificial grass. <br /> <br /> Aside from that, I have been able to find out bupkis about it. There are a couple of mentions of it in some travel blogs, but they don't know any more than I did; who made it, what it represents, how long it will be there... nada.<br /> <br /> (Or &quot;<b><i>was</i></b> there&quot;, given that it's 9 years ago now.)</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55225030794/" title="170723_172515_0215 Under Construction (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55225030794_89b3185dfb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_172515_0215 Under Construction (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> The Christchurch Central Library was created in 1859. In 1974, a property on the corner of Gloucester Street and Oxford Terrace was bought to replace the original, which was over 100 years old by that time. After a few further expansions in the following couple of decades, the 1974 library ended up 7.200 square metres of space.<br /> <br /> When the earthquake of 2011 occurred, the building didn't suffer a lot of damage. However it was inside the city &quot;red zone&quot;, meaning it was no longer accessible. <br /> <br /> Under the city recovery plan, the area that the library was in was to be rebuilt as the Convention Centre Precinct. The old library was therefore demolished in 2014, and construction on a new library – what we see here – was begun in Cathedral Square. The new library consists of 4 levels plus a ground level. (I thought that it was three stories at first, but it's 5 in total.)<br /> <br /> The new library named Tūranga has about 9,850 square metres of space, making it still the largest in the south island. It cost $NZ92.7M, and opened just over a year after I took this shot, specifically on Friday 12 October 2018.<br /> <br /> But at <b><i>THAT</i></b> time, it was still just a skeleton, silhouetted against the red evening sky.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55224468016/" title="170723_171527_0198 Manchester Street, Dusk (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55224468016_89996b26c2_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_171527_0198 Manchester Street, Dusk (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Manchester Street, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> After leaving the C1 Espresso Bar we had walked north west up the diagonal High Street, past the old Cotter building and Smash Palace (seen in the previous images) until High Street intersected the north-south Manchester Street. We turned right into that to head north back toward the hotel. <br /> <br /> There was something cold, but clean and clinically new, about the streetscape. For some reason it gave me a vibe of Berlin in the immediate post-reunification period when civic works were trying to freshen up the neglect of the Warsaw Pact period. (Curious coincidence that I had no idea about at the time... one of the streets that runs off Manchester Street a block or two up from here is Cashel Street. Turn right into that, and a short distance along there are some remnants of the Berlin Wall. I swear I wrote these comments before I knew that, 5 years after taking this shot.)<br /> <br /> You won't ever see this view again. I've seen some recent photos of Manchester Street and the trees on my left have thrived and grown since I was there. The area to my right, however, apparently continues to be a series of open air car parks. No new buildings have been built there, even though it is clear from a satellite view (and from Google Street View circa 2007) that buildings once stood there. That said, many of them seemed to have been old and abandoned and if there was no demand for them before the earthquake, there's certainly no point putting anything back up after it until the demand builds again.<br /> -----<br /> <b>Edit 22 April 2026:</b> The comments above would have been written when I was first writing up the descriptions in mid-2022. However Google Street View from March 2025 show no change to the description that I gave above.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223566387/" title="170723_172423_0208 &quot;Hey, I know your sister!&quot; (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223566387_c8816e33ca_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_172423_0208 &quot;Hey, I know your sister!&quot; (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> This mural overlooks the carpark outside the Christchurch Novotel where we were staying. It was painted over the exposed brickwork of the nearby Quest Hotel. <br /> <br /> It looked awfully familiar. The distinctive style belongs to a Melbourne-based street artist named Rone who is, as per his <a href="https://www.r-o-n-e.com/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">web site</a>, &quot;best known for his haunting, stylised images of women’s faces&quot;. His real name is Tyrone Wright (born 1980) and he is based out of Melbourne.<br /> <br /> One of his works (named &quot;Celestine&quot;) can be seen on a wall in Keira Street Wollongong, and was created as one of the entries in the 2012 iteration of an annual competition called &quot;Wonderwalls&quot;. As soon as we saw this image, the source of the work was obvious to me.<br /> <br /> I knew that I had a shot of that image <b><i>SOMEWHERE</i></b> in my albums; finally I found it in the PAD album for 2015 <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223024470/in/album-72177720327230485">February 22</a>.<br /> <br /> One difference between the two is that Rone often does &quot;Jane Doe&quot; paintings; anonymous women based on models that he hires or photographs, but the end result isn't necessarily an actual person to avoid offending anyone who doesn't like the end result, according to an interview with Julia Baird, a journalist. To the best of my knowledge &quot;'Celestine&quot; is not an actual person... whereas apparently this mural is of an Australian model named Teresa Oman, according to the website watchthisspace.org.nz. The site is a bit contradictory about when it was painted, saying in one paragraph that it was from the 2013 Rise Festival, and in another that it was from the 2014 Rise Festival.<br /> <br /> Either way, it's intended to give the impression that she was revealed by the earthquake rather than simply being painted as a response to it, and that she has been watching over the city as it rebuilds.<br /> <br /> Another difference is the fact that the Wollongong building that Celestine was painted on is going to be torn down in the near future.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223566397/" title="170723_172204_0204 Preservation Taken Too Far? Maybe Not. (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223566397_d751b9d023_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_172204_0204 Preservation Taken Too Far? Maybe Not. (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>119 Worcester Street, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> This art deco building was built in 1935 for the State Insurance Co. It had been designed by an architect named Cecil Wood. At one time it housed the Design And Arts College of New Zealand, but that was long ago and before the building suffered significant damage in the 2011 earthquake.<br /> <br /> The building can't be simply knocked down, being heritage listed.<br /> <br /> Further information about the building can be found <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/109357340/brittens-sell-quakedamaged-christchurch-heritage-building" rel="noreferrer nofollow">in this article from 14 December 2018 </a>.<br /> <br /> The article cited in the previous paragraph claimed that the mysterious &quot;new owners&quot; planned to reinforce and renovate the building, but that was 3.5 years ago and Street View shows the building in a worse state than ever.<br /> <br /> I can understand why it hasn't been restored; the key problem is that a building of that size, that badly damaged, would take a massive amount to repair. If there is no demand for the building space, it's money down the tubes.<br /> <br /> It really needs to be either fixed or come down, mainly because if left to its own devices long enough it may well do the latter of its own accord.<br /> <br /> And THAT would not be pretty to watch.<br /> -----<br /> <b>Edit 21 April 2026</b>: I would have written the above description in mid-2022. However on <a href="https://www.colliers.co.nz/en-nz/real-estate-news/new-offering-for-old-post-office-in-christchurch" rel="noreferrer nofollow">16 October 2024</a> real estate firm named Colliers put out a blurb regarding property developments around Central Christchurch (which included some that they were trying to flog, of course). It contained this snippet: <i>Private developers are restoring the former State Insurance Building at 116 Worcester Street close to Cathedral Square</i>. Street View shots from 2024 confirm that the building is wrapped in scaffolding, so it looks like it may be saved after all.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223566402/" title="170723_171356_0194 Smash Palace (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223566402_f09822341a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_171356_0194 Smash Palace (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>172 High Street, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> From the name and the general appearance I imagined this place in High Street Christchurch to be some kind of dive / dance club. It isn't. It's a bar and burger joint. <br /> <br /> And frankly, looking at the website, it looks like a rather nice, lively place to visit if you happen to be in the area.<br /> <br /> Appearances can be deceptive.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/63739177@N06/">that Geoff...</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63739177@N06/55223607595/" title="Varsity Hockey match UKC vs CCCU"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223607595_b70d64a894_m.jpg" width="240" height="146" alt="Varsity Hockey match UKC vs CCCU" /></a></p> <p>20.04.2026</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223206178/" title="170723_165030_0172 Air (Pressure) Delivered; The Chips Have Landed (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223206178_920e0f7f2a_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_165030_0172 Air (Pressure) Delivered; The Chips Have Landed (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> What was in our pneumatic tube? Delicious, hot, freshly cooked spiral chips and condiments.<br /> <br /> In reality getting it to us via the Lamson Tube was probably no faster than walking it out, but let's be honest, having it delivered via pneumatic tube is one heck of a novelty factor.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223290669/" title="170723_164900_0165 Warning, Tube Contents In Motion (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223290669_f64c41a4f1_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_164900_0165 Warning, Tube Contents In Motion (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> Remember how, a couple of images back in this gallery, I pointed to some pipes that were running around the ceiling? So what exactly are those?<br /> <br /> They're pneumatic tubes. You may also hear them called air tubes, Lamson tubes (not after the guy who invented them, but from the guy who made them a commercial success in the 1880s), pneumatic transport systems... but mostly pneumatic tubes. The idea is quite simple; you have a series of tubes that connect various parts of a building or buildings. These are usually made of aluminium or a substance like PVC. On one end there is a pump which can either pump air into or pull air out of the tube. A container is then placed inside the tube and the pressure differential causes the higher pressure side to push the tube along.<br /> <br /> (One might think that the lower pressure side sucks the tube along, but I always remember Professor Julius Sumner Miller decrying that expression &quot;because it sounds like it's working by magic! It is the pressure of the air particles on the HIGH pressure side that does the work!&quot;)<br /> <br /> They date back to the late 19th century and in their earliest days they were even considered for use as people movers, but they didn't scale up exceptionally well. (That hasn't stopped Elon Musk from floating his idea of a &quot;hyperloop&quot; which would operate on a similar principle and has been greatly derided, but let's not go there.)<br /> <br /> Where the tubes came into their own was in transporting relatively small objects around buildings or in some cases even between buildings. For example, in a department store cash registers will accumulate cash over the day. The excess can be put into a container in a pneumatic tube linked to the store strongroom, and sent straight there. This lowers the chance of robbery. Some hospitals used them to transport pathology samples or medicines; I believe that some still do. The US Library of Congress used them to receive requests from readers and send documents back to them. They were also installed in Australia's old Parliament House, and thus made their way into the new one... though by the time it was opened in 1988 &quot;new&quot; technology like faxes {chortle} and computers with e-mail made them redundant. <br /> <br /> Their use in a former telegraph and post office is not unexpected either; pneumatic tubes were introduced by the US Postal service to move mail in Philadelphia in 1893. By 1915 you could find about 90km of the things under the streets of Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Chicago and St. Louis as well.<br /> <br /> Here, the deliveries are much shorter range. This container has just arrived for us. So what's in it?</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55221958567/" title="170723_164118_0158 Why Are The Books Blurry? (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55221958567_1f8c701e17_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_164118_0158 Why Are The Books Blurry? (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> Well, aside from the graininess caused by me using ISO 800, which is best avoided on a micro 4/3 camera.<br /> <br /> It's because they’re moving. Yes, these ARE bookcases which contain actual books. But yes too, those bookcases are in fact doors to the back of the café.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223021173/" title="170723_163754_0157 A Funky Décor Means Nothing... (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223021173_3e01a48ab4_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_163754_0157 A Funky Décor Means Nothing... (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> ... without good food and drink. C1's fruit smoothies were as good as they looked.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55222858001/" title="170723_164130_0162 Fuelled By Caffeine (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55222858001_0e42f340d2_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_164130_0162 Fuelled By Caffeine (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> What would a funky décor be without a display of metal model cars? Admittedly I may not have taken a shot of these, but the boxes with the label showing them to be &quot;Caffeine Fuelled&quot; hit my funny bone; I can relate to that, my little V8 friends.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55221958572/" title="170723_163124_0151 Why The Not So Long Face? (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55221958572_f9640e5ab0_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_163124_0151 Why The Not So Long Face? (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> Once upon a time there was a post and telegraph office which sat on Tuam Street, just where it was crossed diagonally by High Street. Technically, the address was in fact High Street.<br /> <br /> Of course by the mid 90's telegraphs weren't a &quot;thing&quot; any more (for the most part), though admittedly mail had not yet begun its death plunge in the wake of e-mail and broadband speeds. Nonetheless post offices, which were once the cornerstone of communities (along with banks) didn't need to be as voluminous (or as common) as they had been in the 50s to the 80s. Some of the buildings started to be flogged off. In 1996, C 1 Espresso set up shop in the old telegraph office building.<br /> <br /> What it was like back then, I couldn't say. But well before we arrived it had a reputation for an eclectically funky décor. In what sense? Well, we'll see over the course of the next few photos. <br /> <br /> But really, you aren't going to see horses from merry-go-rounds sitting right next to you in the middle of an average café, would you not agree?</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223105964/" title="170723_163650_0154 Nothing To See, Move Along (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223105964_a4f1fe3f20_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_163650_0154 Nothing To See, Move Along (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>C1 Espresso Bar, 185 High St Christchurch New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> The sign may carry the message that there is nothing to see, but oh, I beg to differ. Note the rather interesting light fittings. Note too what they are suspended from. <br /> <br /> What ARE those? We'll soon see.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55222925643/" title="170723_160902_0125 Chalice, Not Poisoned (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55222925643_4aaa9d5d87_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_160902_0125 Chalice, Not Poisoned (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> This sculpture named &quot;Chalice&quot; was commissioned from native Christchurch artist Neil Dawson (born 1948) to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Christchurch and Canterbury, as well as the new millennium. It was officially lit on 10 September 2001, and since that time it has been lit with a floodlight inside the base of the cone, and a spotlight aimed at the exterior from the footpath.<br /> <br /> The sculpture has a hexagonal steel structure with a solid steel conical base. Aluminium sheets have been used to create native leaf patterns. The patterns were intended to reflect the geometric features of the cathedral architecture, bearing in mind that it was created before the cathedral was severely damaged in 2011. The higher leaves are more detailed, but less dense.<br /> <br /> The sculpture is 18 m high, 2 m in diameter at ground level, and 8.5 m in diameter at the top. The shape was intended to mirror the spire of Christchurch Cathedral... which of course isn't there anymore.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223011414/" title="170723_160955_0133 Snow Globe, Real Life Edition (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223011414_8b74ea9a49_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_160955_0133 Snow Globe, Real Life Edition (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> In previous shots we saw the temporary ice rink which was provided by the company named Ice-World.com. (Don't forget the hyphen or you will go to a different company.)<br /> <br /> Well, they also provide life-size snow globes which people can climb into.<br /> <br /> I have not the vaguest idea why anyone would want to; maybe kids just want to get photographed inside a giant snow globe. So here we are.<br /> <br /> They're certainly too large to shake, and at least they aren't filled with liquid.<br /> <br /> Which reminds me, the snow globe that we obtained from our trip to Switzerland in 2016 is beginning to look a little bit, shall we say, &quot;drought affected&quot;.<br /> -----<br /> <b>Edit 21 April 2026</b>: Out of curiosity I checked whether Ice-World.com was still around. I'm pleased to see that they are.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223170805/" title="170723_162015_0140 Containers And No! (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223170805_8f172d1a94_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_162015_0140 Containers And No! (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>High Street, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> I'm not sure whether it's still the case 5 years after this photo was taken (<b>Edit</b>: Closer to 9 when posting on Flickr...), but even as late as 2017, 20 foot shipping containers of the kind that are used on cargo vessels played a very large part in holding together the architecture of the city in the wake of the 2011 earthquakes.<br /> <br /> In some cases they were placed in front of buildings to hold up the walls, as we see here; notice the steel rods bracing the containers against a masonry wall.<br /> <br /> In other cases they replaced buildings entirely, such as in the Christchurch mall which will make an appearance later in the album.<br /> <br /> There is an abundance of murals as well. I originally wasn't sure what this one is, but I've since found that it's a representation of a painting by a New Zealand artist named Tony Fomison (1939-1990). The painting is titled &quot;No!&quot;; a man with blank eyes and a set facial expression holds up a hand to block the way. <br /> <br /> According to watchthisspace.org.nz, which has documented most of the city's murals, the story behind this one is that:<br /> &quot;After the 2010-2011 earthquakes, Christchurch Art Gallery (CAG) immediately became the command centre for post-earthquake operations, thus CAG was inaccessible to the public. Shortly after, they realized they'd have to go through further earthquake repair work. CAG was closed for almost 5 years. During this time, they brought their exhibitions outdoors, including this paste-up of Tony Fomison's 'No!' &quot;<br /> <br /> Apparently the image was inspired by a newspaper photograph that Fomison saw when he was living in England in the 1960s. A local blacksmith (yes, they still exist) was horrified at the idea of a proposed urban subdivision near his village. His response to the proposal was unambiguous.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55223011399/" title="170723_162000_0137 At Least They Probably Won&#039;t Get a Ticket (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55223011399_c446ca993d_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="170723_162000_0137 At Least They Probably Won&#039;t Get a Ticket (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>High Street, Christchurch, New Zealand</b><br /> <br /> That's a hell of a place to park your Mini. There ARE some advantages; no jackass is going to park close to you and ding your doors when they open theirs. You're probably not going to be fighting to get that spot. There is no way that parking inspectors will climb down there to give you a ticket.<br /> <br /> But there are a few drawbacks too. I'm not sure how well your parking brake is going to hold the wheels in place. You're certainly going to need tyres with a hell of a lot more grip than your average Bridgestones. Unless you're Spider-Man you're probably going to have some difficulty getting down the wall to get back in the car. And sometimes it can be hard enough doing a turn across traffic in two dimensions; in three it will probably be nightmarish.<br /> <br /> I think this is possibly even too groovy a spot for &quot;Real Groovy&quot;.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/152230369@N08/">AKMC Photography</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152230369@N08/55221844912/" title="170723_160537_0081 A Gaping Fiscal (And Physical) Hole (Sun 23 Jul 17)"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55221844912_73d3dffaa8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="170723_160537_0081 A Gaping Fiscal (And Physical) Hole (Sun 23 Jul 17)" /></a></p> <p><b>Christchurch Cathedral, Cathedral Square, Christchurch, NZ</b><br /> <br /> This shot gives us a clear indication of why the Anglican church originally wanted to demolish the Cathedral. Looking inside the thing like this, we see its shattered walls looking like something left over from the dark ages. Your mental cash register would HAVE to be tallying up the number of dollars that would need to be sunk into the building to get it back into a serviceable state.<br /> <br /> As I mentioned in an earlier description, that price increased by about 50% between 2018 and 2022.<br /> <br /> This shot also gives a wider angle of Cathedral Square, and you can see our hotel (as well as the building that was being (re?)built alongside it) in the left rear of the shot.<br /> <br /> Some further research revealed that the building that's under construction is the Tūranga Christchurch City Libraries. It rises only about 3 stories, so it doesn't block out the views of those staying in the Novotel tower.<br /> <br /> The Citizens' War Memorial is clearly visible on the left, and I'll come back to that in the next shot.<br /> -----<br /> <b>Update 20 April 2026</b>: As I mentioned in shots 0042 and 0046, work on the Cathedral, which had commenced by 2022, came to a grinding halt in 2024 with a deficit of around $NZD 85 million.<br /> <br /> But fear not, the organisation entrusted with the reconstruction has <b><i>a plan</i></b>! The plan was to restore the Cathedral in stages, with the first stage to see work commence in 2026, and the first part of the Cathedral to be open by 2030!<br /> <br /> The problem is that plans don't actually build anything. Not even a Lego house. Workmen, equipment, materials and the money to pay for them... <b><i>that</i></b> is what builds things. And as recently as last month the organisation was still short between $NZD 40 to 45 million. Thus to the best of my knowledge, not a sod of earth has yet to be turned in the 2026 to 2030 grand plan.<br /> <br /> I don't want to dump on anyone over that because I know that a lot of people want the Cathedral repaired. It's that important to the history of how Christchurch became Christchurch. I can not only sympathise with that but understand well how important history (real history, not the invented stuff) can be.<br /> <br /> <b><i>BUT</i></b>.<br /> <br /> New Zealand is not England. It is far more seismically active. The Cathedral (which, incidentally, has had issues with funding since the day the first stone was laid as I outlined in image 0042 because it has not really had the population or congregation to support something of its size) has been repeatedly damaged by earthquakes. And the next earthquake in Christchurch? It's not &quot;if&quot;, it's &quot;when&quot;, if history has taught us nothing else.<br /> <br /> This would explain why the vote (of churchgoers) to save the Cathedral was passed by a mere 5 percentage points. Sometimes... you just need to let things go. Do I think they should do that with the Cathedral? That's not my call. But I do know that it's been a decade and a half, and that the restoration is still millions of dollars short. And that best case, it will reopen a whole 20 years after the damage occurred. Maybe. If the money can be found.<br /> <br /> At some point losses need to be cut. And if work, <b><i>real</i></b> work, not just planned work, does not commence before this year is out, I think that's a question that the good burghers of Christchurch will need to stare in the face.</p>

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Mark Hazleton has been active in Information Services delivery for over 20 years. Reach Mark at [email protected]

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