Drive to Christchurch/Quake City Museum

This morning we drove from Tekapo lake to Christchurch. It was a fairly flat drive. It was raining so we couldn't see much on the drive. We checked in to UrbanZ accommodation backpackers in Christchurch . The hostel room was a bit dull and very basic. The windows are high up at the top so it doesn't let much light in. At least we are only here for 2 nights.

In the afternoon we went to Quake City Museum. A museum about the Canterbury earthquakes. We first listened to personal stories about the survivors of the earthquake. It was very sad hearing the stories about the traumatic experience these people went through. One guy lost his wife in a falling building. He was flying to to Christchurch when this happened. He got rediverted to Auckland. A woman was in the tower of the Cathedral and was lucky to make it out alive after the sealing fell through. Many people lost their homes and 185 people died. Most of the buildings were severely damaged as a result of the Earthquake and some collapsed entirely. 80% of the buildings in the city were damaged. The third picture below is the Cathedral Spire that fell during the earthquake.

The earthquake happened on the 22nd February and was a magnitude of 6.3. The earthquake struck at lunchtime when many people were on the city streets. Liquefaction was a major problem after the earthquake. Liquefaction occurs when soil loses strength and stiffness due to earthquake shaking. Loose, sandy soils behave like a liquid as water is forced up to the surface. Liquefaction affected large areas of Christchurch because many suburbs are built on soft soils or sand. It caused damage to roads, buildings, caused flooding and sand volcanoes. I really enjoyed learning about the Earthquakes in Christchurch and found it interesting hearing about people's personal experiences.

In the evening we went to Little High Eatery, an indoor modern marketplace with lots of different cuisines. We had burritos and a cocktail . It was delicious and reasonably priced.Read more