Thinking of everyone across the Tasman in and around Christchurch!

Devastating news streamed from across the Tasman yesterday afternoon ... there's frequent daily flights between Brisbane and Christchurch due to the migration between these places ... with many people here having family over there or travelling there often. I wanted to pay tribute to this wonderful region and join others sending best thoughts and wishes to all concerned.

I was just reading the SBS world news site and found this post about social media to the rescue. During the recent Qld weather events social media proved its invaluable role in linking people with important information.... and in the 24 hours since Christchurch's devastating Earthquake its been providing other layers of critical support.

on a trip to Christchurch January 2010

I've posted on New Zealand in the past... its an extraordinary place to visit and many travellers have deep affection for this part of the world. Geographically spectacular and memorable ... its a landscape that comes with its share of volcanoes, earthquakes and geothermal earth forces. Here's one of the posts from last years trip... there are more from around that time too.

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

Views of the city yesterday showed parks and gardens as places of respite and safety ... location of  temporary medical centres .... and perhaps a safe place to be yesterday at the time of the quake?

Tranquil scene from Botanic Gardens

From the Christchurch Museum

 This was one of a number of images I took in the Museum ... from a section on Migration. Of course significant exhibits on Maori Culture feature there and an area dedictated to exploration in the Antarctic. Its struck me that the contents from the Museum like this above would likely be lost.

Lyttleton looking to the port - from last years trip 

 Lyttleton was the epicentre of the quake... I spent some hours in this fascinating village on route to Akaroa at the tip of the peninsula. I was very sad to hear of 80% of the buildings here sustaining damage....and as to the safety of people here Ive not heard any reports.


 Lyttleton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour next to Banks Peninsula, 12 km by road fromChristchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. According to the 2001 census, the usual resident population of Lyttelton (including neighbouring bays such as Rapaki and Corsair Bay) was 3,042.

The harbour is an inlet on the north-western side of Banks Peninsula, extending 18 km inland from the southern end ofPegasus Bay. It is surrounded by steep hills formed from the sides of an extinct volcanic crater, which rise to a height of 500 m.^[1] Several smaller settlements are dotted along the shore of the harbour, notably Governors Bay and Diamond Harbour. A small island, Quail Island, sits in the upper harbour southwest of Lyttelton.

History

A home for Māori for about 700 years, Lyttelton, or Te whaka raupo was discovered by European settlers on 16 February 1770 during the Endeavour's first voyage to New Zealand. The earliest evidence of a human presence in the area are moa bones dating from roughly 1250.

In August 1849 it was officially proclaimed a port.

Lyttelton was formerly called Port Cooper and Port Victoria. It was the original settlement in the district (1850). The name Lyttelton was given to it in honour of George William Lyttelton of the Canterbury Association, which had led the colonisation of the area.

The Lyttelton Times was one of the principal newspapers of the Canterbury region for 80 years, published from 1851 until 1929, at which time it became the Christchurch Times, until publication ceased in 1935.

Aiming to establish a Church of England colony in New Zealand, the Canterbury Association was founded in 1848. As Lyttelton was a harbour, and had a large amount of flat land suitable for farming and development nearby, it was ideal for a colony.

In 1862, the first telegraph transmission in New Zealand was made from Lyttelton Post Office.^[2]

In 1870, fire destroyed all the wooden buildings in Norwich Quay, on the main street of Lyttelton.^[2]

On January 1, 1908, the Nimrod Expedition, headed by Ernest Shackleton to explore Antarctica left from the harbour here.

The image below is of graffiti on the wall in Lyttleton when I visited.

Maybe it is through the tragic circumstances of life we remember we are all indeed linked ... and in a sense of one body!
S x