Old Cathedral, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand. January 1993
Christchurch, New Zealand was the last stop on our two-week, rushed vacation through that beautiful country. We had just been in Queenstown [see: tandem parasailing] and made a few stops on the way to Christchurch. From there we would catch a flight to Auckland and then, after a few days in Sydney[see: Sydney], via Tokyo, head back to New York City. Christchurch had an air of sadness for us because we were finishing one of the funnest vacations we ever had as well as saying goodbye to someone who was to become our close friend in the following years, MAP.
Christchurch Cathedral by American or European standards was really not much of a "cathedral". It was more like a normal sized church. It stood beautifully on a city center square, but it was not Notre Dame or Chartres. In that leafy open space before the cathedral there was a permanent resident known as the "Magician" (he was even in the guide books) who took it upon himself to lecture and posit his views on the world regularly from a podium. He was a slightly more serious version of the "naked singing cowboy" of Times Square, New York City - a human being who actually was a tourist attraction.
We had a walk about in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens which were ever-so-British and lovingly laid out. Christchurch WAS very British. It reminded me of Victoria, British Columbia - a British town in Canada that was more British than the UK. There truly was not a lot to "do" except relax in a place that was not as focused on adrenaline junkies as most of the South Island was. We contemplated taking a day-trip out of the city for whale watching, and then decided we had already spent enough money. I think mainly, we were just tired.
In 2010 and 2011 a series of shallow earthquakes hit Christchurch hard. The cathedral spire collapsed entirely. The church is now slowly being dismantled, and looks nothing like what is pictured above. As it turns out, it was not the first time an earthquake rocked that church and caused major damage. A 1901 quake was equally damaging and brought down the bell-tower. This time, however, seemed to be the death knell of the place. The city governors voted to deconsecrate the church, remove what was salvageable (notably the stained glass windows) and build a new church.
The people of Christchurch pushed back (with the Magician leading the charge!). They wanted their landmark saved and restored. After a long fight, the tide turned and now the cathedral may be restored in place to its original glory. Maybe the next church will last another 100 years?
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