Easter Weekend Photographic Outings [Part 2]

Continuing on from the other day, here is the second part from today's adventures...

"Kia Kaha" - On the cordon at Colombo/St Asaph

Venturing out to Sumner/Redcliffs
Former Landmarks
Along the road to Sumner, there were familiar signs of devastation to former landmarks...

As is common to see, these were mostly/all red-brick buildings, with now-familiar stairstep fracture patterns.

Redirections, Munted Roads, and the Estuary

Taking a drive down main roads in Eastern Christchurch, the scale of the damage to the roading network becomes clear very quickly. What roads whose surfaces have not ruptured and/or needed urgent resealing work are bumpy as a bowl of lumpy custard: the earth's surface crumpled in weird and wacky ways.

Pretty scenic - part of the detour caused by a recent sewer collapse on Ferry Road just a few days ago. But don't let appearances fool you...

The estuary, for many years the dumping ground for wastewater (usually post-"treatment", though as a result of recent events, apparently directly released) absolutely reeked today. It was absolutely terrible. Probably for the next few years at least, no high-school biology field trips will be able to visit the Estuary again, conducting line transects down the stinking shores. I can only offer my sympathy for the row of businesses pictured above, who have this stench blown at the everyday. Oh, and for the above-average flocks of birdlife sitting in this muck!

Further down the road, it's not hard to see the impact of the quakes on the roads and pavements which haven't been fixed up yet...

Meanwhile, scenic landscapes wizz past. Yachts anchored in the harbour (top), and the remnants of "Shag Rock" (or "Shag Pile" as it'll now have to be known) below. For the uninitiated, it would appear that nothing had happened, with the serenity of the surrounds.

Oh, and sometimes someone's private gondola can be spotted down the hillside!

Redcliffs and Container Crates

Container crates line the main only road in/out of the area, acting as a buffer for rockfalls and boulders to fall onto instead of directly on to cars below. But passing right beneath some, it's hard to tell what's worse...

At times it can get a bit all too chaotic, as this ambulance found out as it tried to navigate past the crates...

Then again, those cliffs up there do look mighty unstable...

And reminders are abound for why we need these crates, like at Redcliffs School, which is set at the feet of these towering cliffs (with some houses perched precariously over the edge up there).

Despite this, the army don't seem to mind. They've even set up a TV antenna outside their little man-cave, though probably they'd need to if they're staying the long run.

Sumner
Finally, the Sumner area; one of the main beaches for this area, though you'd be best advised to keep clear of the water for the immediate future (as if the mounds of debris on the sand weren't enough of a deterrent).

 

You know you're in Sumner when you start seeing the Norfolk pines all around the place. Looking down the Esplanade - the cluster of shops on the right include a cafe and an ice-cream store, though these were closed today.

Cave Rock - a popular attraction for climbing usually, it's suffered some damage and has been cordoned off (like many other hazards). Where the fences are, the concrete pavement slab there has lifted up a good 15-20 cm.

But looking out to sea, it's hard to tell that anything had happened (though the water appeared slightly "darker" than usual). It's also unusual to spot more than one ship out there at once.

Scarborough clock tower - thankfully this old beauty is still standing

Unlike this park bench or sea wall...

Did you know that portaloos in this region seemed to be assigned to suit the colour schemes of the neighbouring properties?


Assorted views from the road