Update on Christchurch

Updating you all from here in Christchurch. Lyttelton Port sustained a lot of damage - all cruises calls have been cancelled to the port for the rest of the season. This is not only due to the situation in Lyttelton but also because the infrastructure of our city is not able to handle large numbers of visitors just yet. We are also having numerous aftershocks which would place people at risk.

The situation here is grim. So far we have 154 confirmed dead and it's expected to rise to around 240. Our central city and many suburbs have been destroyed. Roads have opened up and are just a mess. Many homes are still without power, water or sewerage systems. It's really hard to describe the feelings - terror, anxiety, sorrow, relief and so on. I thought I was terrified on September 4 last year with the first one but last Tuesday was the single most frightening thing I have ever experienced. I am now able to go home as I have power and water (no sewerage) but the thought terrifies me as I live alone. I'm just going to have to suck it up and get on with it though.

For anyone wanting to help our city here is a link to the official government donation site: http://christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt.nz/

Thinking of you. (Actually thought of you last Tuesday as we were in Auckland when it hit.) My first reaction on hearing where the quake struck was, Lytleton and more precisely thanking God I wasn't in that damn tunnel. Not sure if it sustained damage, but tunnels and bridges in quake zones bug me.

It is good that you are well. Might be a good time to get out of town for a while, away from the aftershocks. There is a certain strength that we draw from our neighbors when disaster hits, but it still takes its toll. Do what you can to make your house good and then visit relatives or friends.

My first reaction on hearing where the quake struck was, Lytleton and more precisely thanking God I wasn't in that damn tunnel. Not sure if it sustained damage, but tunnels and bridges in quake zones bug me.

The quakes in this area have been a surprise. As I understand it, the fault was only discovered a few months' back after the last earthquake.

There's a major fault that runs down the middle of New Zealand, that's what formed NZ. The Port hills were formed by 3 separate volcanoes so it's a pretty active area.

There's nowhere in NZ that doesn't get quakes really. See: http://geonet.org.nz/earthquake/

The only way for them to see fault lines is by measuring patterns of quakes or looking at the geology of where the ground has torn, they can only really do this in hilly areas where the bedrock is exposed. The Canterbury planes are silty gravel, relatively young in geological terms, so there may be other fault lines that we don't know about under that layer of gravel.

Thank you for the update. I'm so sorry to hear of the troubles in Christchurch - we were there about a year ago and just loved the city. May you recover soon.

So sorry to hear about the tragedies in both Christchurch and Lyttelton. It's hard to believe we were enjoying your beautiful cities just on Jan 30th from the Diamond Princess.

Thanks for the firsthand updates, and we'll keep you in our prayers.

Take care.

kiwigirl1972, thanks so much for the update. Am so sorry to hear of all the loss! It just isn't fair! I live in California and have been in many quakes and it still is frightening. Please know that so many of us are praying for you and all in New Zealand.

Just returned from your beautiful country this am. We were so saddened about the loss of like, including a young woman from rigt here in Beavercreek, OH. She was stnding under the canopy in front of the cathedral. Our expedition leader is from Christchurch and left us early to be with his family. Also some of our ship's crew--the Oceanic Discoverer. All were safe, but there was loss of housing. We so enjoyed your beautiful country. God bless. Pat

We've visited the Christchurch area twice in the last two and one half years and it is one of our favorite cruise ports.

It had been tough watching your lovely city and surrounds going through this again, as when we were last there in late October, we witnessed the damage from last year's quake. But, the city and its' people were still at their finest and we enjoyed every minute and hope to return again.

Best to all of you at this most difficult of times. And thanks for the link so we can try to do our little bit to assist in the recovery!

Updating you all from here in Christchurch. Lyttelton Port sustained a lot of damage - all cruises calls have been cancelled to the port for the rest of the season. This is not only due to the situation in Lyttelton but also because the infrastructure of our city is not able to handle large numbers of visitors just yet. We are also having numerous aftershocks which would place people at risk.

 

The situation here is grim. So far we have 154 confirmed dead and it's expected to rise to around 240. Our central city and many suburbs have been destroyed. Roads have opened up and are just a mess. Many homes are still without power, water or sewerage systems. It's really hard to describe the feelings - terror, anxiety, sorrow, relief and so on. I thought I was terrified on September 4 last year with the first one but last Tuesday was the single most frightening thing I have ever experienced. I am now able to go home as I have power and water (no sewerage) but the thought terrifies me as I live alone. I'm just going to have to suck it up and get on with it though.

 

For anyone wanting to help our city here is a link to the official government donation site: http://christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt.nz/

Thank you for the update...we think about everyone in Christchurch daily. Our thoughs and prayers go out to all of you. Christchurch is a beautiful city and does not deserve such a tragedy.

We were so very sad to hear of the destruction as a result of the earthquake. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all those affected. We enjoyed our our visit to Christchurch and the rest of your beautiful country and look forward to returning.

Updating you all from here in Christchurch. Lyttelton Port sustained a lot of damage - all cruises calls have been cancelled to the port for the rest of the season. This is not only due to the situation in Lyttelton but also because the infrastructure of our city is not able to handle large numbers of visitors just yet. We are also having numerous aftershocks which would place people at risk.

 

The situation here is grim. So far we have 154 confirmed dead and it's expected to rise to around 240. Our central city and many suburbs have been destroyed. Roads have opened up and are just a mess. Many homes are still without power, water or sewerage systems. It's really hard to describe the feelings - terror, anxiety, sorrow, relief and so on. I thought I was terrified on September 4 last year with the first one but last Tuesday was the single most frightening thing I have ever experienced. I am now able to go home as I have power and water (no sewerage) but the thought terrifies me as I live alone. I'm just going to have to suck it up and get on with it though.

 

For anyone wanting to help our city here is a link to the official government donation site: http://christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt.nz/

Thanks for posting this. Hope you'll update when you have a chance, although I know you have a lot on your mind. I've visited Christchurch several times. South Island in general and Christchurch particularly are two of my favorite travel destinations.

The quake hit a little close to home for my family, as my granddaughter had arrived in Christchurch just 10 days earlier for a semester at the university and was, in fact, Skyping with her mother when quake hit - just had time to say "whoa, earthquake" before the power went off. I understand that the campus didn't sustain too much damage, but enough so they transferred my granddaughter and her group to Auckland.

I'm tentatively booked on Crystal's Auckland-Melbourne Christmas 2012 cruise scheduled to call in Lyttelton on Boxing Day 2012 and sincerely hope that recovery will have progressed to the point where Christchurch is able to welcome visitors again. I know that complete recovery will take years, but then you Kiwis are a resilient people -Napier is good example of that.

We visited Christchurch in November 2009 and loved it. We hope to visit again but not for another couple of years as we need to save up! I know the loss of life and the effect on the infrastructure is horrendous but if the OP comes back I've a couple of questions. Did the statue of Robert Falcon Scott survive and was the Botanical Gardens affected?

We visited Christchurch in November 2009 and loved it. We hope to visit again but not for another couple of years as we need to save up! I know the loss of life and the effect on the infrastructure is horrendous but if the OP comes back I've a couple of questions. Did the statue of Robert Falcon Scott survive and was the Botanical Gardens affected?

The Scott statue survived. The gardens are still off limits as there are some large trees that have had root damage. some of the enormous ones in Hagley park have already been taken down because they couldn't be saved.

kiwigirl1972, we were thinking very much of you and everyone in Christchurch when we were there at the beginning of last month, particularly on the day that we flew to CHC to drive south. Remarkably, everywhere along that edge of the city (including the car rental depot) had an air of normality about it; everyone getting on with their lives as best they could - but we were all keenly aware of the situation just a couple of miles away.

We were in Christchurch only five days before the catastrophic earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all of those that were impacted by this event.

That was our second visit to Christchurch and we were struck by the beauty of this city and its wonderful people.

Keith

We were in Christchurch only five days before the catastrophic earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all of those that were impacted by this event.

 

That was our second visit to Christchurch and we were struck by the beauty of this city and its wonderful people.

 

Keith

It's a very special place. Today is a special day, ANZAC Day, on which we Aussies think fondly of our New Zealand brothers.

It's a very special place. Today is a special day, ANZAC Day, on which we Aussies think fondly of our New Zealand brothers.

Turtlemichael, thank you for sharing today's thought regarding ANZAC DAY.

I can't say enough about the friendliness and kindness that was shown to us as tourists by the many locals that we interacted with in both Australia and New Zealand. Everyone was so very helpful.

This reminds me that when we were in Christchurch outside the firehouse was a commemorative item in honor of 9/11. It was made of steel from the twin towers and my understanding is that this was the only remnant from 9/11 that was sent outside of the USA and was done so because of all of the support provided by the firemen from Christchurch and I am sure others from other part os New Zealand following 9/11.

We look forward to future visits to both New Zealand and Australia.

Keith

Thinking of you all in ChCh after this latest scare.

Will it never end? I hope it will, and soon.

So sorry to hear that there was yet another issue.

We were there just five days prior to the earthquake earlier this year.

Keith

Thanks everyone from Christchurch. Its has been a pretty scary time - over 60 quakes yesterday including a 5.7 followed a few hours later by another 6.3 centred near the port. Heaps more liquidifaction over my side of town (eastern). We are all hoping mother nature has finished with us this time and will leave us in peace for a while!!

kiwiatchch, thank you so very much for the update.

My wife and I have visited your lovely town twice with the most recent visit five days prior to the catastrophic earthquake earlier this year. While we were very impressed with the beauty of Christchurch we loved the warmth and passion of the residents that we met on both of our stays.

My wife and I lived in Northern California during a very large earthquake some time ago but it pales in comparison to what you all have live through since September of 2010.

Our hearts go out to each of you with our thoughts and our prayers.

Keith

Hi,

Wondering how your daughter is going? Hoping she is out of hospital soon, and back with Mum and family. I bet you are counting down the days until your cruise. Also hoping that things quieten down for you all there, and you can get a decent nights sleep. All the best.

Jen

Hi,

Wondering how your daughter is going? Hoping she is out of hospital soon, and back with Mum and family. I bet you are counting down the days until your cruise. Also hoping that things quieten down for you all there, and you can get a decent nights sleep. All the best.

Jen

Thanks Jen

Yes, she is doing well and recovering at home now with the others. Schools are still shut so she has plenty of company.

I am so looking forward to my trip - I have 5 weeks in the States including the 7 night Western Caribbean cruise but am only taking my 11 year old son. My teenage daughters are staying home due to university and high school exams and they cruised with me last year so feeling a bit nervous about leaving them with things the way they are here.

Hope you enjoy your trip here in November. At the moment the coastal road out of Lyttelton is blocked by a large boulder and the area has really suffered badly again. If you need any help or information while you are here just let me know I will be back from the States by then.

Sherie

We will be making our third visit to Christchurch during the first week of January next year. Part of our NYE cruise on Sun Princess.

Like most I am keen to learn as much as I can about what is happening there, particularly the availability of Lyttleton. I appreciate all that I have read on these boards.

One thing I have not seen too much news on is the condition of the tunnel. It is a concern of mine that there could be an undiscovered problem that may horribly manifest itself sometime down the track.:eek:

I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has some information on the tunnel.

cheers