When a City Falls

On Sept. 4, 2010, a 7.1 earthquake rocked the city of Christchurch and its suburbs. Miraculously, no one died. In fact, this was unprecedented anywhere in the world for an urban area to survive such a quake with no fatalities. In the weeks which followed, the city celebrated its good fortune of narrowly escaping disaster. Little did they know, that just 6 months later, it would happen again. But this time would be much different. On Feb. 22, 2011, a 6.3 EQ hit again and the city crumbled. Buildings collapsed, killing 181 people. Two office buildings, the CTV and the PGC, suffered the majority of fatalities. People just like you and I, going about their daily routines, going to work, doing their jobs. New Zealand is a small country and it wasn't hard for people to know someone who had been killed, injured or displaced by the quake. In the weeks that followed, many people attended 15-20 funerals for friends and collegues.
A public bus tour has been created to give locals a last chance to see their beloved city and its devastation before demolition is complete. When we boarded the bus, we knew it would be a somber experience. The slow moving bus took us into the CBD (central business district) now know as the "red zone". Passengers tried to remember what stood where as we moved through the streets. A theater, a favorite coffee shop, the historic Warner Hotel - all gone now, leaving just empty lots. The bus paused in front of what was the CTV and PGC so people could pay their respects. It then stopped in front of the iconic Christchurch Angelican Cathedral. The steeple, which had tumbled to the ground, has been removed. Large cracks in the stone church (built in the late 1800's)will probably be too costly to repair. Paper Chinese lanterns still hang in Victoria Square, to celebrate the Feb. Chinese New Year. There is an eeriness to the streets, void of people, covered in liqufaction (a silty by-product of the EQ), everything frozen in time, back to that fateful February afternoon.
As the bus tour concluded, the EMT on board said he "hoped that it helped" and I believe the trip was a cathartic experience for most people. There is grief for lives lost and familiarity gone but there is also hope. Canterburians have banded together in support of one another. Although there are many more buildings to be demolished, there is much talk about re-building a city basically from scratch. They predict it will take many years. Rebuilding won't even be considered and Insurance companies are withholding any payments until there is what they refer to as a 3-3. Three months without an aftershock above 3.0. So far, that hasn't happened. Yesterday we had a 3.4.

A leap of faith

It's been said that New Zealand is the adrenalin capital of the world. Thrill-seekers come from all over the globe for the heart-pounding outdoor activities that abound here. The birthplace of bungy jumping, NZ is also a hot spot for jet boating through canyons, skydiving, hang-gliding and white knuckle whitewater rafting. They even have the world's highest ropeswing (a true Bradford favorite!) over Shotover Canyon. If you are open to new experiences, New Zealand will take your breath away.
So here we are,a couple of country bumpkins, having travelled some 9,000 miles from home, talk about a leap of faith. It's sort of like our version of a bungy jump! Not to mention, lest you forget, NZ sits on a powder keg. And the current epicenter of earthquake activity sits right below us. Our home base is the South Island,just outside of Christchurch. The largest city in the South Island (second largest in the country),nicknamed "The Garden City", Christchurch suffered a 7.1 mag EQ on Sept. 4, 2010 and a 6.3 mag EQ on Feb. 6, 2011 and a 6.1 mag EQ on June 13, 2011. Since the Sept. quake, there have been and continues to be aftershocks. The most recent was today, registering a 3.2 and located 5 km from Christchurch.
The people of Christchurch, like most Kiwis, are a resilient and determined bunch but these past 14 months have brought many to their knees. Homes destroyed, roads & bridges buckled, infrastructure badly damaged, and lots of frazzled nerves. Some have chosen to leave the area, many have not. With a steely commitment, they carry on and focus on rebuilding (although downtown Christchurch is still in the de-construction phase). Kiwis call it "mucking in" or in other words, getting the job done no matter what it takes. It's a strange time for outsiders to be here trying to comprehend what everyone has gone through and how they each cope with it.
On Saturday, we are scheduled to be part of a bus tour that will take us inside the "red zone", the most damaged areas of downtown Christchurch. Up until two weeks ago, this area was cordoned off and the public has not been allowed inside their beloved city. The public put pressure on city officials to allow a look because they felt they needed to see it for themselves in order to reconnect and heal from the psychological trauma. Officials warn each passenger that "we need to be aware that despite best efforts around safety you could still be trapped by an EQ, falling building or other significant incidents within the red zone and you might not survive". We are instructed to wear suitable footwear in the event we need to walk over broken glass and masonry.
We are sadden that we were never able to see the beauty and charm that was Christchurch. Our next blog will most likely be not only about what we saw but also how it felt to see it. Until then, stay safe and be well. Cheers!

Things we love about New Zealand

We love...
*not hearing about "smog warnings" on the weather report
*seeing people walk around downtown in bare feet
*the Tui, a nectar-eating bird that sounds like R2D2 (because it has two voiceboxes)
*that kids are still allowed to climb trees in the schoolyard
*having friendly conversations with complete strangers
*trying local wines
*signs on the beach that tell you to leash your dog because of the penguins
*that "no worries" is such a common phrase here
*watching the Haka- a Maori warrior dance
*seeing the snow capped Southern Alps when we look out the window in the morning
*hot waterfalls (fed by underground thermal rivers)
*that workers break for "tea time" every morning and afternoon
*the Moko - a traditional Maori facial tattoo that tells of his family history
*that most people don't own a dryer (they use a clothesline)
*walking deserted beaches
*that most petrol stations offer to pump your gas and wash your windscreen
*that every town has a Main Street that looks like the date could still be 1950
*that NZ is masculine to its core but it was the first country to give women the right to vote
*that a Farmer's Wife has a firm handshake and a Farmer's handshake can break bones
*that the people are humble,honest and rarely complain

These are just a few of the reasons why we are so glad we took the longest scheduled plane flight on the planet to get here.

Canterbury A & P Show 2011

In the event you missed an earlier blog, A & P stands for "Agricultural" and "Pastoral", in other words, farming. This week, for 3 days, the 199th annual Canterbury Show is the largest A & P show in all of New Zealand. It coincides with "Cup & Show Week", which is New Zealand's premier horse racing event (kind of like our Triple Crown, only it involves races with both Trotters (Sulkies) and Gallopers (Thoroughbred Racing). The women dress up and wear fancy hats. Gambling on horses, by the way, (the people placing the bets are called "punters") is really, really big here.
Anyway,back to the A & P show - located only a 20 minute drive from where we are staying, it attracts 100,000 people, with over 500 vendors (there used to be more before the Christchurch earthquakes) and 6,000 livestock. We found the whole event to be very well organized.
With so much to see, we had to pick and choose so we focused on Sheep Dog Competitions where a farmer and his dog had to steer 3 sheep through an obstacle course containing a gate, a bridge (the most difficult one) and two turnstyes in less than 10 mins. Chief, a Border Collie with one blue eye and one brown eye, ended up getting a sheep with real attitude. It refused to be herded and tried to head butt Chief on several occasions. It took an amazing amount of restraint on Chief's behalf not to bite that sheep in the face! Another event we enjoyed was the Wood chopping competition, pitting NZ vs Australia. The blokes carried their axes in metal cases. We also walked around and looked at vintage tractors and farm machinery. We visited booths to learn about the different sheep breeds -one of which is called the "Ranger" which is genetically bred for survival in the High Hills, meaning cold temps, rough terrain and no need for a Shepard. These sheep take care of themselves. Wow, talk about free-ranging.
There was also horse jumping, motorcycle jumping, tractor pulls, and even a guy doing a headstand while perched on a 100+ foot high pole. We loved the NZ wine and food tent ,with yummies to sample and purchase. As we headed out, walking back through a pasture to get to our car, we heard a band begin to play "Sweet Home Alabama". It's so surreal being here.

At home on a NZ farm

Having spent the past two and a half months on the Canterbury (pronounced Canta-bree)Plains with its rich diversity of agriculture, horticulture and livestock, we reflect on our life on a NZ farm. The natural features of the landscape itself are amazing - mountains to our west, ocean to our east. It is a land where the weather can change to all 4 seasons in a 24 hour period. In fact, the daily TV weather report say it's either "wet" or "fine". We reside on a seed manufacturing farm where crops are raised, then the best seeds are harvested and sold overseas, mainly in Asia. Most of NZ farms have sheep, with over 50 million raised for meat, fleece or both. The most popular breeds are Romney and Cheviot, although Merino sheep are prized for their fine wool. Gangs of shearers move from station to station shearing 200-300 sheep a day. Farmers and their dogs ride all-terrain vehicles, repairing fences and checking on livestock. Ten million cattle are also raised in NZ, half for meat, half for dairy (milk,butter,cheese). Other types of farming include orchards containing grapes (this might be the wine talking but we're trying to taste as many fine wines as possible), cherries, kiwis, apples and silage (winter feed for grazers).
Having come from "Camp Maxson",in Bradford, R.I. we love working (and playing) outdoors so our time here on the farm has been well spent. Its hard to envision, if you're not a farmer, the amount of daily "chores" that a farm such as this involves. If you aren't able to keep up with the constant flow - repairs to farming equipment, organization of tools & farm attachments, and planning of the growing season to optimize your yield (= profits), along with fertilization and weed control, you will quickly fall far behind and a season will be wasted. We go to bed happily exhausted and look forward to each new day. Thankfully, our Farm Manager is an energetic, resourceful, hard working gal, who has been working here for 6 years. Her name is Leanne, and she is 22 years old. A small girl, she does the work of 3 men. Orginally from Scotland, Leanne moved to NZ in her teens with her family. She began working here as a 16 yr old college student (that's High School in the USA) and worked her way up to be the top dog on the farm. She's our boss and we love her. How she feels about us, well, the Scots are tight-lipped. Suffice it to say, she gives us the flexiblity to still be goofy, American tourists.