“ We were now part of a major historical event; it was weaving into our personal histories...
We were now part of a major historical event; it was weaving into our personal histories...
“ Our world cracked and roared, bucked and swayed, and our city began to fall down and apart...
Our world cracked and roared, bucked and swayed, and our city began to fall down and apart...
“ It's a chance to give something practical and tangible...
It's a chance to give something practical and tangible...
“ There are some amazing stories of bravery and sacrifice emerging- everyone has a tale to tell...
There are some amazing stories of bravery and sacrifice emerging- everyone has a tale to tell...
“ Being half a world away it was difficult to grasp what had really happened back home. Feelings of helplessness, despair, anger and fear washed over me...
Being half a world away it was difficult to grasp what had really happened back home. Feelings of helplessness, despair, anger and fear washed over me...
“ My brother-in-law... telephoned with the news – “our house in Bexley – gone, your house in Horseshoe Lake – gone”...
My brother-in-law... telephoned with the news – “our house in Bexley – gone, your house in Horseshoe Lake – gone”...
“ Instantly I knew this was much worse than September, I stated to my husband 'hundreds of people might have died'...
Instantly I knew this was much worse than September, I stated to my husband 'hundreds of people might have died'...
“ This is what it’s like to be a refugee, it sucks big time...
This is what it’s like to be a refugee, it sucks big time...
“ Yes, there had been plenty of aftershocks but this was bigger, and it also broke a kind of detente...
Yes, there had been plenty of aftershocks but this was bigger, and it also broke a kind of detente...
“ At times we had trouble getting into our street and home due to the rubberneckers... it was an invasion of privacy that we were helpless to do anything about...
At times we had trouble getting into our street and home due to the rubberneckers... it was an invasion of privacy that we were helpless to do anything about...
“ There were two or three seconds of silence, before the screams and sirens set in...
There were two or three seconds of silence, before the screams and sirens set in...
“ Now, I just really want to be part the Christchurch journey, into the future...
Now, I just really want to be part the Christchurch journey, into the future...
“ A massive roar of movement, unimaginable to anyone who has not experienced it...
A massive roar of movement, unimaginable to anyone who has not experienced it...
“ I could feel my mind trying to slide away from me so that I didn’t have to think about anything that had just happened...
I could feel my mind trying to slide away from me so that I didn’t have to think about anything that had just happened...
“ We finished our lunch when suddenly a report like that of an exploding bomb occurred and the whole building began to shake...
We finished our lunch when suddenly a report like that of an exploding bomb occurred and the whole building began to shake...
“ They were all talking at once, sharing their experiences of February one year ago...
They were all talking at once, sharing their experiences of February one year ago...
“ And so, it begins again.. Dec 23rd A new swarm, a new cluster....
And so, it begins again.. Dec 23rd A new swarm, a new cluster....
“ The worst was to come when we discovered that our bridesmaid and my best friend had been killed in the PGC Building...
The worst was to come when we discovered that our bridesmaid and my best friend had been killed in the PGC Building...
“ If it was not for my wife helping someone in trouble earlier in the day, I would have been the 17th victim from Canterbury Television lost in that building that day...
If it was not for my wife helping someone in trouble earlier in the day, I would have been the 17th victim from Canterbury Television lost in that building that day...
“ I was at work at Perpetual in the PGC building doing my Will at the time...
I was at work at Perpetual in the PGC building doing my Will at the time...
“ Later on we were to learn that Heathcote Valley recorded one of the greatest ever ground accelerations in the world, 2.2g...
Later on we were to learn that Heathcote Valley recorded one of the greatest ever ground accelerations in the world, 2.2g...
“ I wished my arms could stretch telescopically to cuddle them all, we huddled together and all I could do was reassure them it was brick dust, not smoke...
I wished my arms could stretch telescopically to cuddle them all, we huddled together and all I could do was reassure them it was brick dust, not smoke...
“ His name isn’t counted in the official count but there is no doubt in my mind that day killed my Dad...
His name isn’t counted in the official count but there is no doubt in my mind that day killed my Dad...
“ I remember...my boss, who has only one functional arm, upside down, with his lunch all over him and this completely stoic, surreal expression on his face, or that might have been shock...
I remember...my boss, who has only one functional arm, upside down, with his lunch all over him and this completely stoic, surreal expression on his face, or that might have been shock...
“ The aftershocks were like a home invasion - you close your curtains and you lock your door when you go to bed at night and they enter into your house without an invite...
The aftershocks were like a home invasion - you close your curtains and you lock your door when you go to bed at night and they enter into your house without an invite...
“ Driving through the tunnel on way home for lunch... when all of a sudden the lights went out it was pitch black.
Driving through the tunnel on way home for lunch... when all of a sudden the lights went out it was pitch black.
“ I ... stood in the doorway, watching 3 upright freezers rocking towards me...
I ... stood in the doorway, watching 3 upright freezers rocking towards me...
“ I was walking along High Street, almost at Cathedral Square when it happened. The thing that stays in my memory most of all is - oddly perhaps - the noise...
I was walking along High Street, almost at Cathedral Square when it happened. The thing that stays in my memory most of all is - oddly perhaps - the noise...
“ The bubble broke, however, as my Mum and neighbour said that loads of buildings in the centre had come down and people were trapped...
The bubble broke, however, as my Mum and neighbour said that loads of buildings in the centre had come down and people were trapped...
“ When I heard it had collapsed in the earthquake, I remembered that 1987 conversation with startling clarity. And cried...
When I heard it had collapsed in the earthquake, I remembered that 1987 conversation with startling clarity. And cried...
“ It became clear that it was a lost battle... and on advice of the police we made the decision to give up. It is one of the most difficult things I ever done.......
It became clear that it was a lost battle... and on advice of the police we made the decision to give up. It is one of the most difficult things I ever done.......
“ When the earthquake stopped, I first looked around and thought ‘this building stood up to that?’
When the earthquake stopped, I first looked around and thought ‘this building stood up to that?’
“ The concrete guttering either side of me appeared to explode upwards sending a white powder & pieces of stone high into the air as if stuck by a mortar shell..
The concrete guttering either side of me appeared to explode upwards sending a white powder & pieces of stone high into the air as if stuck by a mortar shell..
“ Trapped in a collapsed building...the story of 86 yr old Miss Grace Heyward...
Trapped in a collapsed building...the story of 86 yr old Miss Grace Heyward...
“ I can hear my long guttural screams, only pausing to take a breath before the next one begins...
I can hear my long guttural screams, only pausing to take a breath before the next one begins...
“ I thought things were odd on February 22nd when I crossed the causeway to take my son to preschool in Redcliffs and the tide was incredibly high...
I thought things were odd on February 22nd when I crossed the causeway to take my son to preschool in Redcliffs and the tide was incredibly high...
“ Fortunately I keep a diary, not in the Pepys league but, sufficient as a reminder....
Fortunately I keep a diary, not in the Pepys league but, sufficient as a reminder....
“ We were crossing Cathedral Square about to head down the ramp to cross Worcester Street into Chancery Lane..when the earthquake struck...
We were crossing Cathedral Square about to head down the ramp to cross Worcester Street into Chancery Lane..when the earthquake struck...
“ This warm, sunny, autumnal, Friday afternoon my grief for this inanimate, nothing of a place stings...
This warm, sunny, autumnal, Friday afternoon my grief for this inanimate, nothing of a place stings...
“ During Tuesday's quake, the car in that space ended up at the receptionist's desk inside our office...
During Tuesday's quake, the car in that space ended up at the receptionist's desk inside our office...
“ I was in the ACC building (2nd floor) on Oxford Terrace when the February quake struck...
I was in the ACC building (2nd floor) on Oxford Terrace when the February quake struck...
“ I saw the glass shelves fly with all the stock and then the lights went out followed by loud crashing noises and I felt an excruciating pain all down my left leg...
I saw the glass shelves fly with all the stock and then the lights went out followed by loud crashing noises and I felt an excruciating pain all down my left leg...
“ It was like I imagine the Blitz was like...
It was like I imagine the Blitz was like...
“ I just arrived with some colleagues for the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Seminar...
I just arrived with some colleagues for the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Seminar...
“ Most of the days were spent alongside my fellow students with my fleet of machines regarded as the ‘unofficial’ heavy machinery support for the Student Volunteer Army...
Most of the days were spent alongside my fellow students with my fleet of machines regarded as the ‘unofficial’ heavy machinery support for the Student Volunteer Army...
“ During the whole day of February 22, I couldn't stop thinking about 9/11....
During the whole day of February 22, I couldn't stop thinking about 9/11....
“ I was in the Art Gallery for the 22/02/2011 quake...
I was in the Art Gallery for the 22/02/2011 quake...
“ Then the earthquake struck and then we all turned into a turtle and we saw the front of the arts centre come crashing down..
Then the earthquake struck and then we all turned into a turtle and we saw the front of the arts centre come crashing down..
“ He dropped me at my street and I stumbled down it, dreading returning and wishing I were there already...
He dropped me at my street and I stumbled down it, dreading returning and wishing I were there already...
“ Then I looked out the window - and watched the CTV building fall down...
Then I looked out the window - and watched the CTV building fall down...
“ It looked like the crowds walking home in New York on 9/11...
It looked like the crowds walking home in New York on 9/11...
“ I watched as the Volcano Cafe started disintegrating...
I watched as the Volcano Cafe started disintegrating...
“ It hit with an almighty force. All i could think was, no. no, not again...
It hit with an almighty force. All i could think was, no. no, not again...
“ On February 22 I wasn't even in Christchurch. My company was hosting a large conference in Rotorua...
On February 22 I wasn't even in Christchurch. My company was hosting a large conference in Rotorua...
“ I was walking alongside the Avon River, adjacent to the Student Association building, when I felt the ground jump under my feet...
I was walking alongside the Avon River, adjacent to the Student Association building, when I felt the ground jump under my feet...
“ This week has been the longest, yet shortest of my life...
This week has been the longest, yet shortest of my life...
“ Then suddenly the lights flicked off and my whole world smashed into little pieces...
Then suddenly the lights flicked off and my whole world smashed into little pieces...
“ I was just about to get into the swimming pool at QEII... when suddenly there was a huge rumbling sound like a truck was rolling through the building...
I was just about to get into the swimming pool at QEII... when suddenly there was a huge rumbling sound like a truck was rolling through the building...
“ 4 September 2010. I remember vaguely thinking that the noise on our roof sounded like hundreds of heavy footed birds landing on the corrugated iron...
4 September 2010. I remember vaguely thinking that the noise on our roof sounded like hundreds of heavy footed birds landing on the corrugated iron...
“ I remember seeing that the Link Centre had fallen in. I turned away; I couldn't bear to think about the people inside...
I remember seeing that the Link Centre had fallen in. I turned away; I couldn't bear to think about the people inside...
“ It hit with no warning. It was like a bomb had been dropped on Christchurch....
It hit with no warning. It was like a bomb had been dropped on Christchurch....
“ I was on a Ship berthed in the Port, when the rumbling sound started and just kept building...
I was on a Ship berthed in the Port, when the rumbling sound started and just kept building...
“ I lost my workplace, I lost my possessions, I lost my sanity, but thankfully we did not lose any students or staff...
I lost my workplace, I lost my possessions, I lost my sanity, but thankfully we did not lose any students or staff...
“ My brother, his partner, 5 week old daughter and myself were walking down the street ...when me and my brother were slammed through a glass window and the building came down on top of us...
My brother, his partner, 5 week old daughter and myself were walking down the street ...when me and my brother were slammed through a glass window and the building came down on top of us...
“ My class was just about to do an assignment for our pets when the February earthquake happened...
My class was just about to do an assignment for our pets when the February earthquake happened...
“ I just sat in the chair I was in, holding onto a filing cabinet that was beside me for fear it would fall on my supervisor who had gotten onto the floor....
I just sat in the chair I was in, holding onto a filing cabinet that was beside me for fear it would fall on my supervisor who had gotten onto the floor....
“ Then suddenly... BAM! No build up, just straight into violent up and down shaking...
Then suddenly... BAM! No build up, just straight into violent up and down shaking...
“ When the earthquake struck, I was at my desk on Level 15 of the Forsyth Barr building...
When the earthquake struck, I was at my desk on Level 15 of the Forsyth Barr building...
“ It wasn't like riding big waves, or being blown around in a high wind. It was the sharpest, most violent kind of shaking; as though the house sat on some giant mechanism of limitless force...
It wasn't like riding big waves, or being blown around in a high wind. It was the sharpest, most violent kind of shaking; as though the house sat on some giant mechanism of limitless force...
“ It hurts so much to see our city in tatters, to know friends I have worked with are missing... now confirmed dead...
It hurts so much to see our city in tatters, to know friends I have worked with are missing... now confirmed dead...
“ That normal day at school turned into my worst nightmare, I thought I was going to die...
That normal day at school turned into my worst nightmare, I thought I was going to die...
“ I'll never forget the terrified expressions of three businessmen who were grasping each other like elephants holding tails...
I'll never forget the terrified expressions of three businessmen who were grasping each other like elephants holding tails...
“ I heard a terrifying rumbling noise coming from behind me. The ground rolled under me, and as the shock wave traveled down the road it extinguished every street light...
I heard a terrifying rumbling noise coming from behind me. The ground rolled under me, and as the shock wave traveled down the road it extinguished every street light...
“ a friend and myself sat up a gazebo on the grassy flat in Lytteton, with tables and chairs, water and snacks and a sign "Join us, have a chat"...
a friend and myself sat up a gazebo on the grassy flat in Lytteton, with tables and chairs, water and snacks and a sign "Join us, have a chat"...
“ The whole length of the Styx River was like a mini Moses and the Red Sea episode - it split down the middle, like a giant 1 meter square post had been dropped along its whole length...
The whole length of the Styx River was like a mini Moses and the Red Sea episode - it split down the middle, like a giant 1 meter square post had been dropped along its whole length...
“ How much in my day-to-day life now evolves around where I am, what’s around me, where I park my car, what I have with me, who is around, where emergency exits are, asking myself if there’re torches around...
How much in my day-to-day life now evolves around where I am, what’s around me, where I park my car, what I have with me, who is around, where emergency exits are, asking myself if there’re torches around...
“ I remember thinking to myself - “It’s payday, I need to get some groceries, and register my car. I’ll do that when hubby gets home.” Yeah Right...
I remember thinking to myself - “It’s payday, I need to get some groceries, and register my car. I’ll do that when hubby gets home.” Yeah Right...
“ At the supermarket in Timaru, I’m wondering if I stand out like a sore thumb in borrowed men’s cargo pants and pink girlie op shop t-shirt...
At the supermarket in Timaru, I’m wondering if I stand out like a sore thumb in borrowed men’s cargo pants and pink girlie op shop t-shirt...
“ I would rather tell my story with two poems: one about the shock, the other about losing the familiar places and associations we have with the buildings being demolished...
I would rather tell my story with two poems: one about the shock, the other about losing the familiar places and associations we have with the buildings being demolished...
“ Her school is in the middle of town... when they were evacuated onto the street they had to take her past people with blood on them and other people that she said were just lying on the road...
Her school is in the middle of town... when they were evacuated onto the street they had to take her past people with blood on them and other people that she said were just lying on the road...
“ I dived under a desk where I stayed with bits of the ceiling, computer monitors, bricks from the external walls and glass all smashing on the desk above me...
I dived under a desk where I stayed with bits of the ceiling, computer monitors, bricks from the external walls and glass all smashing on the desk above me...
“ I was lifted across the room and thrown into a big speaker and then the chimney fell through the roof and the fridge which normally takes two good men to carry was thrown across the other side of the room...
I was lifted across the room and thrown into a big speaker and then the chimney fell through the roof and the fridge which normally takes two good men to carry was thrown across the other side of the room...
“ 12:51pm, 22nd February 2011.... a day I will never forget, a day my worst fears came to the fore...
12:51pm, 22nd February 2011.... a day I will never forget, a day my worst fears came to the fore...
“ The quake was loud, if I looked down the road 100m I would have seen the CTV building come down, but I didn’t, I just ran...
The quake was loud, if I looked down the road 100m I would have seen the CTV building come down, but I didn’t, I just ran...
“ There is nothing more terrifying than the power of Mother Nature, there is no negotiation, no empathy, just the sheer release of energy...
There is nothing more terrifying than the power of Mother Nature, there is no negotiation, no empathy, just the sheer release of energy...
“ My city is levelled, and all I can say at the moment, bulldoze them all, only the cathedral needs to be rebuilt. I’m all for heritage but not at this cost...
My city is levelled, and all I can say at the moment, bulldoze them all, only the cathedral needs to be rebuilt. I’m all for heritage but not at this cost...
“ There were more than 20 earthquakes in less than eight hours that day, we felt them all - it sends so much adrenalin into your body you almost become physically ill...
There were more than 20 earthquakes in less than eight hours that day, we felt them all - it sends so much adrenalin into your body you almost become physically ill...
“ I found myself huddled against the retaining wall in my back garden, listening to the sounds of walls collapsing, breaking glass and the ominous boom, boom, boom as huge boulders came bouncing down the hillsides around me...
I found myself huddled against the retaining wall in my back garden, listening to the sounds of walls collapsing, breaking glass and the ominous boom, boom, boom as huge boulders came bouncing down the hillsides around me...
“ I remember bouncing on the ground as if I was on a trampoline. Curling up in a ball was all I could do to protect myself...
I remember bouncing on the ground as if I was on a trampoline. Curling up in a ball was all I could do to protect myself...
“ We are reminded of 9/11. Earthquakes and aftershocks, the earth's groaning and travailing, reverberations and revolutions are heard round the world. We tremble at something bigger than all of us...
We are reminded of 9/11. Earthquakes and aftershocks, the earth's groaning and travailing, reverberations and revolutions are heard round the world. We tremble at something bigger than all of us...
“ I opened my front door and saw total devastation. Everything we owned seemed to be on the floor, lying broken and smashed...
I opened my front door and saw total devastation. Everything we owned seemed to be on the floor, lying broken and smashed...
“ The long walk began... the walk through destruction and liquefaction, hoping against hope that our house was OK...
The long walk began... the walk through destruction and liquefaction, hoping against hope that our house was OK...
“ September 4th 4.30am I woke up to a roaring noise, thinking that the kids had turned the TV up incredibly loud...
September 4th 4.30am I woke up to a roaring noise, thinking that the kids had turned the TV up incredibly loud...
“ I told him that there had been a lot of damage in the city, that they thought people would have died this time...
I told him that there had been a lot of damage in the city, that they thought people would have died this time...
“ I picked my daughter up, held her in a rugby hold and ran down the hallway trying my best to miss the glass...
I picked my daughter up, held her in a rugby hold and ran down the hallway trying my best to miss the glass...
“ Bronte said to me “I got a brick mum”, as she pulled a brick off the wall of our house. This was the catalyst to finally leave...
Bronte said to me “I got a brick mum”, as she pulled a brick off the wall of our house. This was the catalyst to finally leave...
“ Concrete dust and a black hole through the fire escape door. Later I saw people climbing down that void, floor to floor using fire hoses. We choose not to do the same, in case there is more concrete above ready to come down...
Concrete dust and a black hole through the fire escape door. Later I saw people climbing down that void, floor to floor using fire hoses. We choose not to do the same, in case there is more concrete above ready to come down...
“ I had enough time to realise one literally does hang one’s head with despair. A body going limp as hope drains away...
I had enough time to realise one literally does hang one’s head with despair. A body going limp as hope drains away...
“ Listening to the radio was really devastating as I was hearing the most horrendous stories and just started crying...
Listening to the radio was really devastating as I was hearing the most horrendous stories and just started crying...
“ Outside was staggering to see, in all directions there were collapsed buildings, dust clouds, huge piles of rubble... zombie-like people stood with looks of amazement, and screams from trapped people...
Outside was staggering to see, in all directions there were collapsed buildings, dust clouds, huge piles of rubble... zombie-like people stood with looks of amazement, and screams from trapped people...
“ Can't phone my parents. Worry, stress, fear. People are dead or trapped. Kids all ok. Thankful for being here, home, safe. Hope others are ok too...
Can't phone my parents. Worry, stress, fear. People are dead or trapped. Kids all ok. Thankful for being here, home, safe. Hope others are ok too...
“ Suddenly there ready and waiting was my Mum. She said she had to walk from Linwood, over the Bridle path...
Suddenly there ready and waiting was my Mum. She said she had to walk from Linwood, over the Bridle path...
“ The quake was so strong that the desk got away on me and down on my head came a shelf full of books...
The quake was so strong that the desk got away on me and down on my head came a shelf full of books...
“ I could hear the children screaming in the classrooms, I kept calling out 'turtle turtle' like we'd practiced but they were too scared to remember what to do...
I could hear the children screaming in the classrooms, I kept calling out 'turtle turtle' like we'd practiced but they were too scared to remember what to do...
“ I hit the dance floor, literally. I was pretty drunk but not THAT drunk & then everyone started screaming & pushing towards the door
I hit the dance floor, literally. I was pretty drunk but not THAT drunk & then everyone started screaming & pushing towards the door
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