Yes, it was a joke. The tours, that is, not the yard filled with earthquake-caused sand volcanos. They were very real. You can see one covering the driveway in this photo.
The signs read as follows.
"Tours run 1/2 hourly.
$5.25 admission.
Eftpos unavailable."
"If you think this is bad... you should see the back!"
A tribute taped to a window of a house on Tasman Place. The tribute reads, "Our red zoned house. When we bought you years ago, you looked a bit tired and sad, but overall you weren't too bad. We spruced you up with paint and love and asked for a blessing from above. The years went by, family and friends celebrations under your roof, your 'veggie' garden gave us kai. We felt safe within your wall, then one dreadful September night, the shaking earth made you fall. You tried with all your groaning might to keep us from harm. Because you were strongly built we held onto the door, while a wave of terror buckled the floor and outside the garden flooded with silt. Now you are near the end, sunken walls and windows bend. We say goodbye today and let you go, Our spirit and heart feels low. You are more than just mortar and brick. For us you were a gift, a safe haven where we once lived".
