Rubble and Revival - The Christchurch Earthquake

While many of Christchurch's inner city buildings are still fenced off behind safety barriers and others have vanished completely after rapid acts of demolition following the September 4 7.1 earthquake and around 4,500 after-shocks in the four months since, others are already rising from the dust. I cycled by this suburban corner shop yesterday - a few weeks ago a blank section after demolition and now rising afresh. It's a furniture restoration business that has been on this Edgeware corner for decades and, as the sign on their fence suggests, they're not leaving any time soon.

Manchester Courts meanwhile, is a sad pile of rubble that grows smaller by the day. They're talking about opening up that section of Manchester Street again soon and within a few months, I suspect many people will have forgotten what the building even looked like. There's talk the building's owner is planning a modern, three-storey replacement building. I for one, am hoping for unbelievable architectural excellence; that's the only thing that will compensate in even a tiny way, for the demise of Manchester Courts - but as is the way of things, I suspect we might all be disappointed a second time round.

Meanwhile, the Carlton, that great old battleship of a pub on the corner of Papanui and Carlton Mill Roads is sporting some very handsome bracing - above and below. It may well be that I have been living in an earthquake zone for too long, but I'm beginning to see an unexpected 'beauty' in all the ruins and demolition sites, in the bracing and supports and in the graffiti and signs that are emerging around the city.

For some off reason, a part of me expected things to 'come to a standstill' after the unholy shaking of the initial quake and the most powerful after-shocks, but as the big Boxing Day after-shock proved, there's nothing much at all 'standing still' in this city. Every time I roam the city, I find something new - for better or worse - as locals try and resume normal lives.

And what's happening to all those bricks?

You may well ask.

Some have been crushed I believe - for road fill and other similar jobs.

Others pile up in growing heaps on vacant lots. Some have probably been purchased by canny recyclers. One thing is for sure, never was there a better time for Cantabrians to be considering a solid brick barbecue, a garden fireplace or a quaint brick pathway.

StreetscapeNZ - 104

Dunedin Chinese Gardens

Cumberland Street, Dunedin.

May 2010. Ajr

City Scene - 10

A blurring of layers on the city night watch.

New Year's Eve, Christchurch. 2008

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 119

" Boxing Day in the Mall."

Nothing escapes the critical eye of one of New Zealand's top printmakers.For more in this ongoing series, click on Cleavin in the label line below this post.

StreetscapeNZ - 103

Bolton Street, Wellington

December 2010. Ajr

City Scene - 9

The morning after. I'm always intrigued by the number of empty bottles left quite strategically placed around the city after weekend drinking sessions at city bars. It's almost as if the drunks need to balance a bottle somewhere precarious to prove to themselves that they're quite (erroneously) sober.

Page by Page

I love paper, I love books, I love words.

Put them altogether and I'm in heaven.

I also adore bookbinding and while I've done a ton of it, I have never - and will never - come close to the skill level of one of New Zealand's best bookbinders, Michael O'Brien of Oamaru.

I called into Michael's studio in Tyne Street - in the town's Historic Precinct - when I travelled south in the middle of last year. It's a time warp, a place where you step back into a world of traditional handcrafts. Michael himself is the master of retro-dressing and is usually found in a kilt, or perhaps in classic Edwardian dress....his favourite era.

Michael did a traditional bookbinding apprenticeship at Auckland Public Library and then, in 1986, he headed for Europe to hone his skills. He worked 60 hours a week in a traditional British bindery and took classes in the evenings, with some of the United Kingdom's finest binders. Returning to New Zealand in 1988, he set up business in Auckland, before later shifting south to the calm of historic Oamaru.

Getting people to recognize the value of the traditional bookbinding craft has taken time and perseverence but Michael has never compromised on producing the finest books made from the finest papers. While some of his most extravagant leather-bound books, made from archival paper can sell for up to $600 each, he also produces a wide range of stunning books made from recycled paper, which generally sell for much less. Understandably, he now has a big waiting list for his custom made books and he must be pleased to know that the publicity he's received for his own efforts and craftsmanship, have helped spawn a renewed interest in this ancient craft.

I have a cabinet filled with handmade books - some my own but many crafted by traditional bookbinders and artists from around the world. Some are filled with content; some are limited editions; some are completely one-off works of art; and many are beautiful, 'empty books' that I've been unable to resist - reserved for that "special project." Among them are a handful of Michael O'Brien books. It's a collection that keeps growing.

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 118

"An Approaching Southerly Front."

Top New Zealand printmaker, Barry Cleavin comments on Canterbury weather.

StreetscapeNZ - 102

Wellesley Street, Auckland.

Looking toward the SKYTOWER.

June 2010. Ajr

The Stairway to Heaven & Other Earthquake Photos

Over the last few days I've been writing about Oamaru's stunning 19th century architecture (posts below) and all the while I've thought how lucky they've been not to have suffered the earthquake damage that has destroyed so much of inner city Christchurch over the last three months. I was out biking this morning and was both amused and saddened by this staircase protruding from the top of what's left of Manchester Courts. This was Manchester Courts about two months ago when the demolition crews moved in

This is the same view two months on, taken this morning.

(You can see more of the building in a previous post by clicking on Manchester Courts in the label line below this post).

It doesn't matter where you go in inner city Christchurch at the moment, you have to negotiate your way through and around road blocks, wire fences and lines of shipping containers - all the more so after the strong after-shocks that hit the city on Boxing Day.

Some of the city's finest heritage buildings are bruised and battered - but still standing - many with the help of bracing and scaffolding. Windows are boarded up and streets are narrowed by orange cones and barriers.

Earth Quake Commission staff have been working night and day to inspect city buildings and, with every batch of strong after-shocks (there have been over 4,000 since September 4's 7.1 quake), they often have to re-inspect structures they've already declared safe. After Boxing Day after-shocks, crews were inspecting all the buildings around Cathedral Square (above) to make sure the area would be safe (or otherwise) for the city's annual New Year's Eve party.

Christchurch Cathedral took another hit on Boxing Day. Although the building has been earthquake strengthened and is structurally sound, plaster finishes and architectural details have 'quivered and shivered' in the last three months, and finally, this week, stonemasons removed the cracked cross from the roof, loaded into a little truck and took it off for repair.

In a perverse kind of way, I have enjoyed roaming the city with my camera over the last three months. Nothing is static in any city; in Christchurch, in light of ongoing after-shocks, demolition, inspection and repair, it is even less so. And for every heartbreaking image of a destroyed, or demolished building, there are the quirky, amusing shots that always make me smile.... even 'Elvis' has been rocked off his feet on his balcony perch beside Manchester Courts on Manchester Street.

City Scene - 8

I'm a sucker for graphics and typography so the Wellington buses always get my attention. Buses anywhere for that matter. I particularly like the vibrant yellow GO on these, flashing through the capital streets.

Oamaru - Church Architecture

Nothing inspires me more than a great big brute of a church - and I'm talking about architecture here, not religion. Any regular visitor to this blog will know that I love church architecture and I've featured some stunning Australasian churches on this blog previously - click on Churches in the label line below if you're interested. Today, I'm giving you a peek through the doors of Oamaru's marvellous St Patrick's Basilica.

This hefty Catholic Church was designed by Dunedin architect, F.W Petre, who was well known for the beautiful churches - many featured on this blog (click on F.W.Petre) - he designed throughout the South Island of New Zealand. This one, located in Reed Street, Oamaru has a bulk and stature that befits a small town known for its handsome Victorian streetscapes, it's wealth of unique historic Oamaru stone buildings.

Like many large churches, St Patrick's was built in several stages - the first in 1893 and the last in 1918. At first glance, the interior seems austere and restrained compared to many, but when you look up at the beautiful coffered Renaissance ceiling and the great dome over the sanctuary, you can't help but admire the workmanship and the spendour of it all. The columns too, give the whole interior a sense of grandeur.

And then, across the street, the humble little box that is the church's Holy Shop.

An austere little 1930s (?) concrete box where churchgoers can acquire their bibles and church paraphernalia.

Barry's Provocative Unpublished Minutes - 117

"Skyhawk as a Fossil."

Another work from one of our top printmakers.

Click on Cleavin in the label line below to see many more.

Oamaru - A Legcay in Limestone

Often, when I tell people one of my favourite New Zealand towns is Oamaru, I get blank or puzzled looks. It is, after all, a small place 80km south of Timaru and 12okm north of Dunedin, that most people bypass on State Highway 1. The population is around 13,000 and the town itself is every bit the slow, rural service centre that many joke about.

It's architecture though, is another matter entirely.

It has one of the finest collections of 19th century architecture - often neo-classical in style - in New Zealand.

So, for those of you who've never visited, or those who sweep through on the bypass and have never discovered 'the old town,' I thought I'd bring you this mini-picture parade, to give you an idea of 'the little Rome' that sits tucked away 'in the back of beyond.' And there's no finer place to start that on lower Thames Street. This is where you'll find a number of splendid buildings that pay homage to the discovery of local building material, limestone, in the 1850s. The two bank buildings (above) are among my favourites. The former Bank of New South Wales (right), was designed by Dunedin architect, Robert Lawson in 1883 and 100 years later, in 1983, it became home to the Forrester Gallery. Like it's mate, the National Bank (left) (also designed by Lawson and built in 1871 for the Bank of Otago), it features beautiful acanthus leaves on the capitals of its Corinthian columns.

This old beauty is the former Post Office, directly across the street from the above banks. It's now home to the Waitaki District Council. It was designed by Forrester and Lemon in 1883 - without the clocktower. This was added in 1903 by Thomas Forrester's son, John

Even if many people do see Thames Street, they often bypass Oamaru's Historic Precinct at the south end of the town. Many of the unique limestone giants here have been restored and now house local artisans or craftspeople, or are still being used for their original purposes - as pubs, wool stores or Bond stores. The handsome Criterion Hotel (above), dominates the corner of Tyne and Harbour Streets. It was designed in Victorian Italiannate style by Oamaru architects, Forrester and Lemon and was built in 1877. The hotel closed in 1906 when the district 'went dry' and re-opened as a bar in 1998.

The Oamaru Opera House meanwhile, is a showy monster in the middle of Thames Street - the main shopping street. Designed by architect J.M. Forrester, and built at a cost of around 10,600-pounds, it opened in 1907. The building has also housed the Oamaru Borough Council, the Council Chamber and assorted law offices. these days, like many of the town's buildings, it's lit at night in a range of changing colours.

This solid edifice - the Columba Presbyterian Church - is one of many other huge and stunning buildings that sit off the beaten track - down the side streets and up on the hill. In addition, Oamaru has several magnificent churches, a marvellous old Railway Station (1900), old hotels, several huge school complexes - Waitaki Girls' and Waitaki Boys' (attended by both my grandparents) chief among them; and many huge homesteads in and around the town. If you're interested in Victorian architecture, it's definitely worth spending a couple of days in the area. www.visitoamaru.co.nz www.historicoamaru.co.nz