Christchurch Earthquake - The Garden City is a War-Zone
71Like a Bomb-site
Shocking News
I'm a Kiwi "kee-wee" (New Zealander) living in Australia and was shocked to hear of the widespread damage in Christchurch after a violent tremor on 22 February 2011. My husband and I lived in Christchurch for more than 3 years, and felt anxious for the well-being of people we knew there. Thanks to social networking like Facebook, we were able to hear quickly that many friends were safe. Still waiting to hear from a few more - hopefully the delay is because they have electricity out in some places, not because they are hurt or worse.
The coverage of the earthquake has been intensive on Australian media. There is dispute over whether this tremor was a violent aftershock or a new earthquake. There have been tragic stories, like the woman who died holding her baby which survived. Incredible stories of people escaping twisted debris - two women credited their work-desks for saving them. One made a call while under her desk with crushed ribs and difficulty breathing - she was rescued and is now in hospital. Another was on the top floor, and escaped with a few scratches and shock.
It was gut-wrenching to see a beautiful and popular city - the biggest city in the South Island of New Zealand, with a CBD looking like a bomb-site. It looks like scenes from overseas, where wars take place. Not beautiful New Zealand, where it is perceived to be safe. The epicentre was Lyttelton, a town over the hill from Christchurch.
Some images, like buses crushed by falling parts of buildings were sickening. Iconic, historical buildings that were weakened from the big quake in September are now badly damaged and will probably have to be completely demolished. Several newer buildings reduced to rubble, unfortunately with people trapped inside. So far the confirmed dead exceeds 100 with more than 200 people still unaccounted for. Many are the dead are not from NZ.
Buses Crushed in CBD
The World is Thinking of You, NZ
I'm the only kiwi at work, and people have been asking about the quake. Of course, I don't know much more than they do, except from a few people on Facebook, that are in Christchurch and are okay.
A touching post by a friend on Facebook, was how her frightened children were asking if 'mummies and daddies' have died. Their mother, who felt sick to the stomach, could only say, 'yes.' Their suburb wasn't badly damaged, but their ordeal was no less frightening, especially after months of aftershocks since the September quake.
Australia was quick to dispatch a search and rescue team. Australia and New Zealand usually have a sibling rivalry, when it comes to sports and other competitive things, but with emergencies, they always help each other out. New Zealand sends help for events in Australia like bush-fires and floods.
A comment I've seen often is 'kia kaha' (kee-a ka-ha) - an affirmation in the Maori language meaning, 'forever strong.' Another phrase that's cropped up frequently is 'munted' - kiwi slang for demolished - 'the buildings are munted'.
Other countries around the world have offered condolences and offers of practical assistance, including the US and Japan.
Aerial Video of Damage
Shallow Earthquakes in NZ in Last Decade
Fault-line Along NZ
Earthquakes in New Zealand
Many people don't realise that New Zealand, like Japan is on a fault-line where two tectonic plates met. Hence, New Zealand and Japan have volanoes, mountain ranges and earthquakes. There are reports millions of tonnes of ice have sheared off a glacier on the opposite coast, on the other side of the Southern Alps.
New Zealand has thousands of earthquakes each year, but only a few hundred are big enough for people to notice them and only a few are bad enough to do damage. Most earthquakes felt are like the rocking movement in a car or like the rumbling of a truck going by - few are powerful enough to knock possessions over. This one was like a giant picking up houses and shaking them and stomping on buildings.
The most devastating earthquake in New Zealand's recorded history before this one was in 1931 in the North Island. More than 200 people were killed and the cities of Napier and Hastings were destroyed. A government fund, the Earthquake Commission was set up to provide financial assistance in the events of earthquakes. Australia had no money set aside for natural disaster relief and had to find money elsewhere - Queensland has been hammered by a record cyclone as well as the worse floods since 1974 this month.
We live in the flood-affected areas of Queensland, and were glad to escape for the week to New Zealand. Apart from the areas that had their houses and lifes completely swept away, we consider the cyclone and earthquake to be more horrible to recover from. An earthquake would be so much more scary, because it strikes without warning. At least those in the cyclone areas had plenty of warning to evacuate.
Christchurch previously was not known for seismic activity. The fault in the Canterbury region was not known about and hadn't been mapped. Christchurch is built next to a volcano (which forms the Banks Peninsular where Lyttelton is located) on flood plains. The earthquake rendered the sediment in the ground to quicksand. Slips and enormous boulders dislodged from the hills, taking houses with them and/or crushing anything below.
People in New Zealand can be rather complacent about earthquakes - unless they have had nerves repeatedly frayed by daily aftershocks. We were taught to dive under our desks at primary school in earthquakes. There was information in the phonebooks about having a survival kit, including water, non-perishable food and batteries for a radio. I don't know of anyone that did. Australians are equally complacent - it was not until floods were expected that people flooded to supermarkets, panic-buying.
Christchurch and Lytteton
Ring of Fire
The Current Situation
Engineers have been shocked that more modern buildings have been totally destroyed in this recent earthquake. The more modern buildings were build to an earthquake-resistant building code. Many of the buildings in the CDB were build prior to adopting the building code.
Those that experienced it reported it was much more violent and frightening than the September quake, despite being lower on the Richter Scale. This aftershock/quake was shallow and close to the city - it took lives, limbs and property. The ones that had limbs amputated to get them out are considered 'lucky' to still be alive.
The tallest hotel in Christchurch is sinking and drooping and is expected to fall over, taking more buildings with it. The rescue teams have had to move away as a precaution. Some suburbs are flooded from burst water and sewage mains. Roads are damaged.
One ex-journalist reported in a radio interview that he has fallen off a mountain in the alps, been in destructive cyclone in Fiji and other life-threatening situations, but never in his life has he been so terrified as this violent tremor. Those that escaped relatively unscathed may feel guilty that others suffered much worse, and may feel helpless.
Water is of short-supply and is being trucked in. People have been urged not to shower, bath or use the toilet. The wastewater plant in the eastern part of christchurch is not operating, and raw sewage is pouring into the estuary. Other sewage is spewing out of mangled infrastructure along with water and liquefaction. Many parts of Christchurch are without electricity. Essential services we've come to depend on are not there for many people - clean drinking water, electricity, and sanitation.
The people of Christchurch want the ground to stop moving - for the ground to become stable. It will take months to clean up and rebuilt essential infrastructure. Many will have lost their homes and workplaces. Some have lost their colleagues and family members. People on the outside are still waiting anxiously to hear from their loved ones.
Tourists have been flown out the crisis zone by the air-force to reduce the strain on resources. Many of these people had nothing but the clothes they were wearing - no passports, money, luggage - but they are grateful to be alive with no major injuries.
The leadership with rescue efforts and government in New Zealand and Australia with recent disasters has been admirable. Volunteers have been ready to offer strangers a place to sleep and food.
The recovery will take much longer. Christchurch will be a changed place.
Kia kaha, Christchurch.
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Jane, sadly the religious nut-bars are coming out of the woodwork and leaving comments on news articles about 'warnings from God etc'
Kiwis are generally complacent about the earthquakes, just like the Aussies didn't really believe the floods would happen again. Napier is art-deco because was rebuilt in that style.
Christchurch was a pretty city, with old English charm - big cathedrals and other brick buildings, some of the oldest buildings in NZ, a tram, a huge park, rivers and beach.
Oh no surprise that the God squad is at hand to remind us of our wickedness.
It is very sad about the old buildings. especially the cathedral spire, which was such a significant icon. It has a terrible symbolism about it.
I heard you used to be able to see it wherever you went it town.
Jane - yes, there were a number of distinctive, iconic buildings that have been 'munted'. The catholic cathedral was wrecked too. At least the anglican leader admitted he didn't know why such things happen
A very good acount of this latest tragedy. The great problem today is there is no space between people and evey disaster gets some group - some town or city somewhere. One needs to live today with one eye on future survival, not that these events can always be forecast. I was in Mexico just after the huge 'quake of 1985...25,000 killed or lost. One can't help feeling like the little girl in Blake's poem, "Goldenrod Unleaving"...Meg cried for the falling flowers but for her future, too. Bob (I am not sure of the name of poem, but that was the subject)
The TV pictures were shocking. I can't imagine what its like= when we had a quake last year it was simply like someone knocked the bed I was lying in. Seeing the scenes on the TV made it so much a reality. I was shocked- I thought they had some sort of early warning system.
diogenese - NZ isn't as densely populated as the rest of the world. It doesn't have many cities and the populations of the cities are small. Otherwise, the death toll could have been much higher.
People in the quake did recall feeling very small and lost - very disconcerting to have the usually stable ground moving dramatically. Buildings aren't designed to be lifted up and dropped again, particularly the brick and concrete ones. Christchurch has the extra complication that the ground is mostly sediment, which turns to quicksand in an earthquake.
European settlers have only been in NZ for just over 100 years - the settlers started building next to a big river. Nowhere in NZ is completely safe from earthquakes
Case1Worker - I might be wrong, but I think that earthquakes can only be 'statistically' predicted, without much in the way of warning - not enough time to get anyone out. There were no records of seismic activity in Chch (for the short time earthquakes have been able to be measured and since historical records have been kept) - NZ is a very young country & a lot is unknown. One can deduce from geology that NZ sits on a major fault line and is very earthquake prone in general.
I was born in Taupo, where one of the largest lakes in the southern hemisphere is located. It's actually an enormous crater lake of an inactive volcano - if it ever blows up again, no-one in NZ and probably Australia would live to tell the tale.
There are now records from the seismic activity in the Canterbury region. If and when it will stop, who knows?
It's sad that some of the most beautiful places on earth are so disaster prone. I'm glad you moved to Queensland, even though it's also flood prone.
There isn't any real totally safe places to live, unless someone designs a Nerf house, but you can prepare ahead for most things.
I have many kiwi friends and was very distraught to see the damage and especially the high numbers of injury and fatalities. It is a terrible blow to Christchurch, and news reports are saying that many have planned to relocate as so much damage has occurred.
As for the god squad, if God did this the churches wouldn't be damaged--huh, think about that.
If anyone can be blamed let's think about climate change and the possibility that mankind has heated the planet to a dangerous level, so plates are moving like ice on a lake during the course of spring heat ups and cool downs.
I'm glad you and yours are safe, BB. And I've already seen the mayor of Christchurch smile saying we will endure--as he had a hard hat on and was helping pull a survivor out from the rubble.
This things do happen and anyone that has to accuse should shut up--what poetic justice might befall the accusers? There--we'll put the fear of poetry upon the god squad.
Ciao.
Enjoyed your article. I live in California and we do not take earthquakes for granted. Yet many people will die when an earthquake occurs...
I too enjoy the Kiwis! and the land!
Flag up!
I have a cousin who lives in Christchurch, but we e-mailed him after the earthquake and found out that he and his family are fine. The deaths, injuries and destruction in Christchurch are so horrible. I am so sorry for what the people there are enduring. I live in an earthquake-prone zone. The government is constantly reminding us to be prepared for an earthquake, and the schools have frequent earthquake drills, but nobody seems to really be prepared for the event.
Austinstar - The floods only affected certain areas - by creeks, rivers & their flood plains. There are still some very unhappy people that haven't received financial assistance yet, both from the government and from their insurance companies - apparently most people are not insured for riverine floods (fine print in their policies).
The beautiful parts of earth are disaster prone, because they have been shaped by moving earth - geology & weather etc. Everywhere has its hazards eg cyclones in islands like Fiji & east coast of Australia each year.
randslam - I think people that many will relocate for 1. income and 2. their sanity. Who knows how long the clean-up will take and the reconstruction of essential services like sewage.
I've seen all sorts of hateful comments from religious nutters - saying god is punishing etc
dallas - NZ have been constructed since the 1970s to a building code of earthquake resistance, so most people will still have a roof over their heads. It's awful that people have died - the most deadly earthquake for NZ for decades.
Alicia - I remember doing earthquake drills as a young child, but not when older. Not sure they're even done these days. There was a blurb in the cover of the phone books about tsunami & earthquakes & what to do etc.
Have found out all my Facebook friends that live in Chch are okay. At least 3 have moved away to stay with family for a while. It's too stressful to stay, particularly with frightened young children, contaminated water, no toilet/shower, no electricity etc.
Baileybear, it seems that both the Land of Oz and Kiwi Land have had a rough time this year and it isn't even the end of February.
I do hope Christchurch does make a comeback. It was a city in the southern hemisphere will a very British old world feel to it. My heart goes out to the people there and I am so glad Australians were able to give assistance so quickly. Most Australians do have a soft spot anyway for New Zealand and Kiwis.
Don't give a damn about the God squad. Better just to look to your friends. If sin was the cause of the quakes then Sydney would have being struck by one all mighty bolt of lightning and the people turned to salt way back in the 1980s. Since this didn't happen and Christchurch would be way down on the list of cities to do terrible things to, I think we can rule out God's immediate hand in the disaster. It may be the result of global warming but who can really say. Maybe this year for Kiwis and the people of Oz will get better. I do hope so.
Rod - I doubt any of those old english heritage buildings will be standing anymore - not sure how many other buildings will have to be knocked down. Rebuilding with 'modern' buildings will just make it look like any other city. Chch used to be the prettiest city in NZ.
Most Aussies are okay with Kiwis. One workplace my husband started at they were very anti-anyone-not-born-in-Australia - the culture was disgusting, so he left after a few weeks. My current workplace is okay with me, but a polish woman says she is treated with distain from some of the born&bred aussies. When we lived in Chch, there was a bit of that attitude with those that weren't born & bred in canterbury - I had a few racist comments by grumpy old men - I wrote a hub about this. Those from other towns/cities were more accepting of 'outsiders'in general.
Sorry you met some unpleasant Aussies.
Since leaving the public service I haven't come across much in the way of racism. In the public service it was weird. Being sexist against men by women was okay. Men being sexist against women not okay. If you were born in any other country you were less likely to encounter racism than if you were born in Australia. The government in its infinite wisdom had gotten rid of certain forms of sexism and racism and replaced them with other forms.
Where I work now everyone no matter who they are or where they were born are treated fairly. I have been at this job now for over four years. The job in this respect has been good for me.
Believe me being discriminated against because you were born in your own country and the country you are living in hurts. Me? I try to be fair and honest.
Rod - NZ is not perfect in that regard either. My father immigrated to NZ from Europe with barely a word of english. He's been a carpenter all his life. He was frustrated at first because of taunts.
NZ has 'bicultural' policies, not multicultural. The south island was very 'white' compared to the north (where most maori & pacific islanders live - warmer!). Christchurch was quaint but hard to break into - a bit like small-town cliques - everyone went to kindergarden together. We seem to 'click' better with other 'outsiders' - those that have moved in from other places.
I'm the only Kiwi at my workplace. Nearly half the staff were born overseas. Some of the born&bred aussies seem more difficult to interact with & have a bit of an 'attitude'. We've got a new English boss that is frank & straight-up. He detests the culture in the place - I'm amazed at how quickly he sussed the place out.
The sexism against men is probably a global thing - I believe in women/gays/minority races etc being treated fairly, but often things go to far
As a California native, I'm no stranger to earthquakes, and for the most part, we natives are just as blasé and complacent as the Aussies and Kiwis.
As far as the "God Squad" people, I am reminded of a famous couplet some wag scrawled on the side wall of a distillery that survived the infamous 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco:
"If, as they say, God spanked the town for being over-frisky,
Why did He burn His churches down and spare Hotaling's whiskey?"
My heart goes out to everyone in Christchurch and environs. It does sounds as if much of the severity of the NZ event was due to the shallow focus of the earthquake. This would account for the extensive damage to modern buildings built to earthquake standards.
The liquefaction issue is also a major problem, and building codes won't help any structure in areas subject to this phenomenon.
CA has laws forbidding building in such areas. However, there are existing buildings in areas like that, and they are "grandfathered" in. I'm sure the same is true in New Zeland.
Words cannot express the horror and sorrow when the rare earthquake event is so severe. My sincere sympathies and condolences to all who experienced this devastating event.
Baileybear, one thing I am aware of in the Land of Oz is the frustration people feel toward continuous large scale migration to Oz. It has been going on since the end of WW2 and there is no sign that it will ever stop. What's more, people are wondering about the benefits of this continuous river. There may have been benefits from the 1950s to the 1970s to the country but now?
Instead of training young people born or living in the country to fill gaps in society, such as the need for more engineers, doctors, nurses, etc, it is just too easy and cheaper to get experts from overseas to fill the gaps.
Also the question of what is wrong with some of these countries people are leaving and what should be done there are often not addressed while migration is a strong possibility. Help those countries to stabilize and you'd be doing a lot of people a favor. Ignore the problems in these countries and look always to migration as a solution and the real problems never go away.
These may be the reasons why some Australians are a bit antsy at present concerning new arrivals though it is not the new arrivals doing or fault. I tend to think of New Zealanders as being so similar in attitude, good and bad, to Aussies that it isn't difficult at all to get along with them. Common heritage and all that. There was a time when NZ was considered to be a part of Oz.
A lot of problems have arisen over multiculturalism. For example, Australian women wearing bikinis need to feel safe on Australian beaches in summer and also wearing mini-skirts on Australian streets in summer. Muslim youth have in recent times threatened these freedoms and it has caused quite a stir and continues to do so.
I agree with what DzyMsLizzy has said. I like her quote from the 1906 SF quake which, if I remember correctly, was made worse by gas mains under the city.
@Rod Marsden You are quite correct.
In fact, those who survived that event had reunions on April 18th every year until 2009, when the last known survivor died at age 102. when
They didn't recall the precipitating event of the earthquake so much--they referred to it as 'The Great Fire,' started initially by the so-called 'ham-and-eggs fire' when the line feeding the house blew up as the housewife prepared breakfast.
DzyMsLizzy - cool name! Christchurch is known to be on flood plains, and they do get small areas of flooding here and there. Modern geologists/engineers would probably agree it is a dumb place to build a city, but the early settlers 150-odd years ago set up where they found drinking water.
Is rebuilding a good idea? 25% of suburbs are currently uninhabitable & the CBD is severely damaged. Is anywhere in NZ really safe? The North Island is geothermally active, which is used to generate electricity. But it has other problems, such as subsidence, problems with gases, geothermal 'explosions' etc.
I'm wondering if insurance companies will bail in the future, just like they do in flood affected areas & coasts that have severe erosion in Australia.
Some people that have lived in Chch their whole life are moving out - too traumatised, especially with young children. Don't blame them - I'd be out of there too. It's trickier for the homeowners in natural disasters - they still have a debt on it and their house is no longer their castle.
NZ'ers are complacent about tsnaumis too - just because they've never had a devastating one in living memory, doesn't mean it won't happen - just need a big enough earthquake offshore and it's not so fun living on the coast anymore.
Rod - we notice some subtle cultural differences with NZ & Oz - the Aussies are a bit louder etc & go nuts about christmas shopping etc more. Otherwise, they are fairly similar. We don't qualify to become Australian citizens - we don't have immediate family that are Aussies, nor do the 'right' jobs. Australians can become NZ citizens immediately. NZ is trying to attract more people to live there. Unfortunately, the job situation is pretty bad in NZ and the damage to the second biggest city will hurt a lot.
Along with nasty comments from hateful religionists, have seen some that say 'scab kiwis should go live back in NZ' & 'hope whole of NZ gets wiped out'. What is the mentality of morons like this?
Kiwis are good workers (those that come over can't get the dole), and some of the lazier Aussies don't like this. People in the pacific islands often move to NZ in their old age, so can use the health system etc. Unfortunately, NZ has a LOT of people on the dole, which swallows up tonnes of money.
Yes, there are difficulties with multiculturism - people move to someone elses country and expect to continue practising their own traditions/religion/laws, rather than respect that of the country they are in.
Dzy & Rod - I vaguely recall hearing that the SF was more devastating because of the fires than the quake itself. Think the Napier/Hastings one in NZ might have been same?
Baileybear,
It sounds like the flooding, should-rebuilding-be-done question is very similar to what happened in the States in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina way back in 2005. To date, many areas are still devastated and not rebuilt. The hardest-hit area was a very poor district, and when people were evacuated to other states, they could not afford to return.
DzyMsLizzy - once the aftershocks finally stop, it's unlikely the same spot will get hit badly again for hundreds of years. The worst-damaged houses/buildings are those that are before the building code was implemented. I'm wondering how many buildings still standing will have to come out.
One friend has told us on Facebook that they have gone out-of-town for an unknown amount of time. Husband's workplace still standing (but of course people can't go into CBD). Their street is uninhabitable with damaged roads, sewer, no electricity, no water etc. Other friends in newer suburbs further inland have had minimal damage to property.
NZ is such a tiny population & it will cost a lot whatever they do. I used to work at the sewage treatment plant, and am wondering if that's all wrecked - a lot of concrete structures etc from 1960s. Not an easy fix which ever way you look at it.
I am going back well over a century, Baileybear, in saying that there was a time when the empire wanted NZ and OZ to be one and the same.
I won't argue the toss as to whether Kiwis are good workers or not. The ones I have met have been good workers but also good to work with which is even better.
Unfortunately the do-gooders and political correction freaks will always maintain that all cultures are really the same and that we should all just get along. This has worked in the past when Australia's beach sub-culture wasn't put under threat by Muslims who think women should definitely not be seen nor heard. If i went to a NZ beach in summer and told the women in bikinis they should be ashamed of themselves and they should cover up I doubt I would win a popularity contest. The same goes in the land of Oz. Also there have been moves to make female circumcision legal in Oz. When this happens I will urge my family to move to NZ and I will join them there.
In Oz we have had a bad track record for training our young for the workforce. This definitely should be addressed.
Right now Oz is hurting from recent floods and NZ from even more recent quakes.
Rod - I think both countries have their issues. NZ will hurt more from the earthquakes, because it has a smaller population to help pay for it. It is generous of other countries to send help.
In NZ a middle-eastern woman wearing full garb gave me the most disgusting look - I think because I was wearing shorts & T-shirt - common casual attire in NZ summer. An Egyptian man did work experience at my work in NZ, and he said the young people in defacto relationships would be put to death where he comes from.
Farmers in Oz have done it tough for a long time. There was a beautiful wheat crop. Drought had ruined the last one. The rain had come at just the right time to make this beautiful wheat crop really something. The farmers were going to harvest and pay off their creditors when even more rain came. It was too much and the wheat crop destroyed. Four years ago the banana industry was devastated by rain and this year the banana industry was again devastated. All this adds up to a lot of destruction that farmers will have a hard time recovering from. First drought in many instances then when things are looking good the floods. NZ may hurt more from the quakes. I can't really say.
Well, neither Oz nor NZ want a strict Muslim code to live by. At the same token maybe that Egyptian man came to NZ to get away from all that nonsense.
Rod - heard an interview last night by a US quake expert that said only a third of people still live in New Orleans after their big disaster.
Yes, it's sad that crops have been ruined by weather event - too little rain, then too much. But Oz is a continent of extremes - particularly with weather & NZ with active geology.
Australia is fortunate that they have minerals to dig out that people want and they have a bigger working population to cough up taxes. They certainly waste just as much money as NZ proportionally - big political stuff-ups. NZ do seem happy with their current prime minister though (last one dug NZ into a hole).
Baileybear, some of the problems in Australia have been caused by poor farming practices. There has been the assumption in the past that farming techniques good for Europe should also be goods for Oz. This has not always been the case.
The extremes in weather you talk about in the land of Oz are becoming more so. Global warming might play its part here. Shifting weather patterns and more water in the oceans from ice melts might also be responsible for plates under the earth moving more frequently and with more devastation, thus more and more vicious earthquakes in NZ.
Oh, yes we have had our big political stuff-ups here in OZ! The roof bat business is still quite fresh in my mind. Not sure about the latest PM of OZ. She might be okay but she will spend like crazy.
Rod - the QLD premier's popularity goes up & down like a yo-yo - QLD is broke - a lot of money wasted eg by buying millions of dollars worth of land to build a dam, then scrapping it.
We'd rather live in NZ than Oz,when it comes to the crunch. We don't qualify to become Oz citizens & family is in NZ (even if they drive us nuts a lot of the time). We have better job opportunities here in Oz, even in the recession
Work does count for a lot, Baileybear.
The dam was a great idea. Too bad the idiots didn't go through with it.
Rod - The dam would have been full with the rain. Nah, they built multi-billion dollar desalination & wastewater purification plants, that never got used. When the wastewater treatment plant was working, it was only supplying the power station - ultra-purified water. When the premier was given some to drink, she turned her nose up at it. They wanted it to be piped to the top of the Wivenhoe, so it mixed in with the dirty dam water first. Funny thing is, treated sewage gets dumped in the river currently. Desalination plants use incredible amounts of energy - would probably need to burn coal. Then they have turned around and released a years supply of water from the Wivenhoe, just in case we get more rain
Okay. I guess you know more about Queensland politics. I never did like the idea of desalination plants.
Rod - I hate politics, but have picked up things here and there. Just written another hub about kiwis living & working in Australia
I'll be sure to check it out.
Jane Bovary Level 1 Commenter 15 months ago
Bailey, Australia is certainly thinking of New Zealand. I was on a train today, reading the paper from cover and cover and it was full of frightening stories. Someone descbribed it as a "1" in 5,000" year event. The awfuness of it all is sinking in. As our Prime Minister said, "New Zealanders are family"...and they are.
That fault-line is a worry. I remember a while ago reading about Napier, the "Art Deco town" in NZ that was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931.
This has been the summer of disasters.