March 8 Thoughts on Earthquakes (Day 163)
Today was a relax and recuperate day. I worked on the website, Robert took a walk up and down the steep driveway to compensate for our 10 hours of sitting on the train the last two days! I thought about the earthquake that Christchurch experienced on Feb. 22, 2011. A 6.3 quake that has been considered an aftershock of the 7.1 quake that hit the same area 0n Sept. 4, 2010. The 2011 quake was more deadly, killing 185 people and further damaging buildings that were weakened in the 2010 quake. Among the many Airbnb’s we have stayed at, 2 are hosted by people who lost their houses in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and had to relocate. In the 13 years since the fateful day many buildings in Christchurch have been restored, many have been torn down and new buildings erected, and some are still languishing, waiting for insurance claims to be settled, or abandoned in frustration. Near the main bus interchange in city central are a few of the derelict buildings.
Decrepit now, these buildings still display the turn of the century architectural details that are usually lost with urban renewal.
We were told early in our visit that we would probably experience some earthquake activity during our 6 month stay. We are happy to say we have not, yet!