Christchurch

When I was in New Zealand several time in the 1990’s to replace the controls on the Waitaki River hydroelectric dams I mostly worked in Twizel. A small construction town about a 100 miles from Christchurch. But on some weekends I would travel to Christchurch because it was so beautiful and had more choices for restaurants and things to do. One of the most beautiful things in Christchurch was the Anglican Church Cathedral in the photo. There was a market near it where I bought handmade wine glasses and there was a walking only center with lots of outdoor cafes.

Today the church looked like this. There was an earthquake in 2011 that devastated the city. Not only was this church basically destroyed but the Catholic Basilica was destroyed along with 6 other Catholic churches, 30 hotels and thousands of homes. I basically didn’t recognize the city. But we went into a couple shops. My head was hanging low and I was about to cry. The lady in the first shop had a bright smile and said don’t cry. We are looking forward to all of the construction being completed. Buildings that hadn’t been built properly for earthquakes were gone. New codes and building practices were being used. The place will be lovely once again in just a few more years. You must come back. Is the glass half full or have empty?

Are you “on the Ball”? Years before GPS the way sailors set their time instruments which were used for many things including navigation, they would watch the ball drop in the harbor of Christchurch (perhaps others too). At 1 PM the gun would sound and the ball would drop. A sailor was on watch to set the time. If he became distracted and missed the ball drop he was considered to not be on the ball and would be punished. I was on the ball and took several photos as the ball dropped. But I only included the one with the ball at the top.