On February 22, 2011, Christchurch experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated the city and the eastern suburbs.
Christchurch itself sits on massive deposits of gravel (due to glaciation - the changing of the land caused by the movement of glaciers). The eastern suburbs are primarily on sand.
Here's a video of what happens to sand during an earthquake:
There was massive damage to the buildings in the city center and to the houses in the eastern suburbs.
A sad reminder of the power of earthquakes.
A year and a half later, the city is still recovering. There are lots of scenes like the one below:
Construction, decorated for the holidays.
Construction zones are often near the prettiest, greenest, most alive places in the city.
The city center still looks pretty different, I'm told. There are no really tall buildings anymore and there's still a section of the city that's cordoned off (around Cathedral Square). There's a lot of construction going on and, in a couple places, they've turned shipping containers into really nifty little shops.
Some of the Re:Start shipping container stores.
The botanical gardens are still beautiful and the museum is still pretty cool. Having not seen the city before, it looks to me like it's just a new-ish city in the process of expanding or a slightly older city renovating itself. It feels hopeful here.
A young family watching their city being rebuilt.