Today marks the end of an 11-year dry spell for the Garden City.
The Mainland Touch was a popular regional news magazine programme broadcast from Christchurch between 1980 until 1990. In excerpts here, Christchurch Botanic Gardens welcomes the arrival of spring with a daffodil festival while local gardening groups prepare a floral carpet. The Wizard of Christchurch battles Telecom over the colour of phone boxes and joins opponents of a proposed restaurant tower in Victoria Square. Punting on the Avon is extended, and a cockatoo hitches a ride in the garden city.
Monavale, a publicly owned heritage building and gardens - can't see it surviving this one.
Christchurch has unveiled an ambitious $2 billion plan to re-create the central city as a green, people friendly, low rise zone, inside a garden. Almost six months on from the destructive February earthquake most of the centre still sits cordoned off, and half the buildings need to come down.
To the casual observer, community gardens may look like places where people just come to grow fruit and vegetables. Through digging beneath surface appearances, however, the research literature suggests that there is more to the creation of and participation in community gardens than that which is immediately apparent. The overall aim of this research was to explore and interpret the meaning of community gardens in terms of the sought and experienced well-being of the individuals who participate, and their associated communities. This research was undertaken in the Christchurch/Selwyn district, in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011. This research utilised the technique of photo-elicitation interviews to study the meanings attributed to community gardening, in the post-earthquake environment. Five gardens were investigated. Results show that a range of meanings, and well-being outcomes are experienced through a combination of physical, educational, aesthetic appreciation, contemplative, creative and social connections within the garden and within the overall context of nature. Significantly, within the post-earthquake environment, the community gardens can offer participants the opportunity to appreciate life and what it means for them.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake as residents start to clean up. Jo Mackwell digs out the garden of her parents from under the silt in Reaby Street, Burwood".
Elephant grass sculpture in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
Reindeer grass sculpture in Re:Start Mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
Today marks seven years since the devastating Christchurch Earthquake. We turn out attention to the Garden City, first celebrating the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s 60th anniversary with violinist Natalia Lomeiko, then organist Martin Setchell on the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church organ rising from the rubble.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Marika Begg with the macrocarpa tree stumps in her garden that were chopped down after earthquake damage. Di Madgin story".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Marika Begg with the macrocarpa tree stumps in her garden that were chopped down after earthquake damage. Di Madgin story".
The Peacock Foutain in the Botanic Gardens, in the background is the Christchurch I-Site which has reopened in a potacom.
Cunningham House at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens is still closed due to earthquake damage. I wonder if it will ever re-open or suffer the demolition fate many other iconic structures in Christchurch have.
Elephant sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
A video of the 2016 Civic Earthquake Memorial Service, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The service was held on the Archery Lawn in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens at midday on 22 February 2016. The service was filmed for the Christchurch City Council by Alan Radford of Multicam TV.
Whale-shaped sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
Animal-shaped sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
Text across the top of the cartoon reads 'You know you live in Christchurch when...' Six cameos follow reading 'You can stir a cup of coffee without a spoon' - a cup of coffee is shaken; 'after 30 years you finally know your neighbours' - a group of people get to know one another; 'the latest fitness craze is sandba' - a couple shovel a heap of liquefaction to music from their transistor; 'everyone gets to drive a slalom' - someone weaves along a road avoiding cracks and mud in their car; 'there's a craze in "unique garden features"' - a longdrop has been dug in the garden; and lastly 'you have tea under a doorframe' - a couple eats and drinks under a doorframe for safety. Context - the Christchurch earthquake of 22 February 2011. Published in The Press Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Garden City Helicopters flown by Mark Read uses a 700 litre monsoon bucket to dump water on loose boulders and rocks on the cliff face above Redcliffs School to dislodge them".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Garden City Helicopters flown by Mark Read uses a 700 litre monsoon bucket to dump water on loose boulders and rocks on the cliff face above Redcliffs School to dislodge them".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Garden City Helicopters flown by Mark Read uses a 700 litre monsoon bucket to dump water on loose boulders and rocks on the cliff face above Redcliffs School to dislodge them".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Garden City Helicopters flown by Mark Read uses a 700 litre monsoon bucket to dump water on loose boulders and rocks on the cliff face above Redcliffs School to dislodge them".
Animal sculpture made out of grass in Re:Start mall in Re:Start mall. This was one of the sculptures presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust.
The cartoon depicts a little plant with two tiny leaves; text reads 'THE GARDEN CITY'. A second version includes the words 'Begins to grow again'. Context - The earliest stages of the rebuilding of Christchurch after the earthquakes of 4 September 2010 and 22 February 2011. Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
View down Re:Start mall, an elephant grass sculpture presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust and street lights with banners in the Canterbury colour, red and black.
A pdf copy of panel 1 of Guy Frederick's 'The Space Between Words' exhibition. The panel includes text from an interview with Meredith Dyer about her experiences of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Above this is an image of Dyer sitting on a path in the Botanical Gardens.
The first passenger train from Piction to Christchurch since the devastating Kaikōura earthquake has arrived in the Garden City - Kathy Templeman was on board and says it was an emotional experience.
A PDF copy of pages 310-311 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Rotherham Clock Park'. Photos with permission from Greening the Rubble
A PDF copy of pages 300-301 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Coffee Zone Mini Park'. Photos with permission from Greening the Rubble
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Garden City Helicopters flown by Mark Read uses a 700 litre monsoon bucket to dump water on loose boulders and rocks on the cliff face above Redcliffs School to dislodge them. Daniel Currie, ground support crew, steadies the monsoon bucket on takeoff".