Living in Nelson, which is located slightly over 400 kilometres away, we are situated unnervingly close. Not close enough to have felt the quake on Tuesday - though some claimed to have felt the one in September. However many Nelsonians have ties to Christchurch. I don't think I've spoken to one person post-quake who doesn't have friends or family there. There are also residents here in Nelson who either are from Canterbury themselves originally or who have lived there in the short or long-term. Naturally there have been many stories circulating in Nelson about the quake - stories ranging from a lack of power and water in many households to lucky escapes to those who have lost friends or family members.
Somehow this quake has offered me an opportunity to reflect not just on this as a national tragedy - because as New Zealanders we are all affected - but also on my own connections with Christchurch over the years. I have realised I have visited Christchurch at least ten times over the years and most visits involved a walk around the very CBD that has been destroyed by the quake. It is the only part of Christchurch I know my way around.
I've lived in a few spots in this fine country of ours, but Christchurch was never one of the cities I resided in. Originally from the North Island (a Wellingtonian) I have had two spells at living in the South Island. The first was well over fifteen years ago when I spent a year living in Queenstown. I spent a Winter as a "ski-liftie" working on both The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. I had the time of my life - skiing, snowboarding and partying (as you do in Queenstown as a 20-something). I made a pile of friends and lived by the mountain motto which was "Here for a good time, not a long time." We travelled to Christchurch on occasion for a big city fix as sometimes life in Queenstown got a bit insular. One memorable trip was going to see The Village People at The Town Hall.
Several of my Queenstown friends in that era were from Canterbury. Many of them I haven't been in contact with for years. I have thought about them this week. Some I have contacted and have been assured they are safe. Some I know are probably living elsewhere or are overseas. It is funny how in the face of tragedy time and lost friendships don't matter.
As a North Islander I had at least one ski trip growing up with my family to Mt Hutt. I also had a rather memorable trip to Lincoln University as a kind of support person with the Victoria University debating team in the late-80s. Several of us crashed in the living room floor of a flat on Bealey Ave after a night out in Christchurch.
In 1999 I had two trips to Christchurch when living in Wellington. Winter that year I spent a few days in Christchurch with a local friend who was living in Sumner at the time on the way to Queenstown. In late 1999 I remember a drive to Lyttelton with the same friend along Sumner Road - the road that was severely damaged in the quake.
My husband and I have been living in the South Island, in Nelson for over nine years. In that time there we have had a few trips to Christchurch. We went to Canterbury as part of a Dragon Boat Regatta the first two Summers we were here, I was in a half-Marathon that started in the CBD and went through Hagley Park almost nine years ago, and we had a night in Christchurch during our campervan honeymoon holiday around the South Island seven years ago. Our most recent trip was almost two years ago when we took our daughter to see The Wiggles at the Town Hall. We stayed in a motel near town and spent a lot of time walking around the CBD - in Cathedral Square, lunching at The Dux, looking at markets, visiting the museum and walking through Hagley Park. As always Christchurch was picturesque - we enjoyed the gardens, The Avon River and the historical buildings that have always been the landmarks of Christchurch. Christchurch always came across as a non-threatening city with a relaxed attitude.
So although I never lived in Christchurch, I have gotten to know it reasonably well - I've shopped there, dined there, partied on The Strip, walked around the city and visited The Cathedral many times. Many of my visits to Christchurch were connected to events - sporting events, concerts, or to catch up with friends who had either moved to Christchurch or were from Christchurch themselves. Many of my Canterbarian friends had a lot of pride about their city and were more than happy to show me around. There is of course nothing like seeing a city through a locals eyes. So it is these friends that I think about at this time - even if many of them are long gone from my life; they will always be linked to Christchurch.
I know Christchurch will never be the same - in the way it looks even after rebuilding it and the memory of this quake will linger for years to come. But I know the people there are strong and will get through this despite all that has been thrown their way this week. I have tears for Christchurch on many levels - the city, the people, the history. For the average New Zealander this whole disaster feels a little too close to home, as we are a small country and this is a first for us - to be in a national state of emergency. I know some Canterbarians have left either temporarily or for good. Some have come to Nelson.
In the meantime the rest of the country carries on with life while waiting for updates and hoping for more positive news. The truth is most of us can do very little and so it feels odd to continue with life - to go to work, to the gym, drop off and pick my daughter up from school when I know so many Canterbarians have had their lives disrupted. Like 9/11, I think I will always remember where I was when I heard about the quake - in the car on the way to the gym and then at the gym I realised just how serious the quake was as live images were aired on the tvs at the gym. I finished my work-out with a sinking feeling, knowing that the footage of men and women who were physically harmed as they emerged from destroyed buildings was only the beginning - the beginning of a horror of a week that no Kiwi will forget in a hurry.
