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Christchurch, New Zealand

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pelo

pelo Report 22 Nov 2011 03:02

Hi all,
Quite regularly requests come up for genealogy information thet relates to 1840 onwards especially that relating to Christchurch & surrounding areas.
It is now 14 mths since we had the first of our devastating earthquakes & still the shaking continues particularly inland Canterbury & here on Banks Peninsula-woops just another one!!
For those interested this UTube link wil give you a tour & commentary of the CBD as it was a fortnight ago - we still can't go in & it will a good while yet. For many people vital records & family heritage papers are in the rubble or dumped along with all their possessions but today is brilliantly sunny & warm, heaps of entainment continues in pop up containers, marquees, in parks etc. Gee, we're adaptable but records are very hard to get. Thank goodness I have heaps of UK ancestry & new friends on GR

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Lic4MCNek


pelo

Researching:
Thompson, Marsh, Adie, French, Aitken, Butcher. Price

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 22 Nov 2011 06:51

Thank you for this link, pelo.

We visited Christchurch almost 20 years ago, and I have vivid memories of what it was like.

I also have a friend who lives on the "high road" from Christchurch to Lyttleton.

Plus we had two friends actually staying in Christchurch when the first earthquake struck ........... they were in the little hotel that is supporting the big hotel! I understand all their belongings are still in what was their room.



I wish you the best of luck




sylvia

Researching:
My brother, photo taken in September 1991 just a couple of weeks before he died. ............................................................ To help us and to get better results, please post as much detail as you can, especially name, date(s) and place. Also say what you already know.

pelo

pelo Report 22 Nov 2011 10:17

Thanks Sylvia.

We live directly across the harbour from Lyttelton & during many of the quakes we have watched huge rocks dislodge & bounce down the hillsides. The noise & dust is indescribable.
The little hotel was demolished a fortnight ago so extra supports could be put under the big hotel. They are now gutting this - all fittings, fixtures, windows etc & start using the 3rd biggest crane in the world tomorrow morning to demolish the building floor at a time - too dangerous to blow it up! Meanwhile rocks still bounce down, some deliberately moved by experts & some triggered by a quake but many of these finish up behind 3-4 stories of shipping containers used as safety barriers all around the city.

pelo

Researching:
Thompson, Marsh, Adie, French, Aitken, Butcher. Price

SylviaInCanada

SylviaInCanada Report 23 Nov 2011 05:20

Hi peol

Thanks for that!

My friend who lives there will no longer go into Christchurch if she can avoid it, as she finds it so depressing.

I noticed shipping containers being used as safety barriers in front of the some of the buildings in that video

Creative use of them!!!


I do hope they managed to empty the rooms in the little hotel ................... our riends had to leave money and passports, as well as all their clothes in there!


They did say how impressed they were with the help they received, both from Christchurchers immediately after the 'quake, and then up in Wellington after they were evacuated.




sylvia

Researching:
My brother, photo taken in September 1991 just a couple of weeks before he died. ............................................................ To help us and to get better results, please post as much detail as you can, especially name, date(s) and place. Also say what you already know.