Tai Tapu

Before we left our camp at Belfast we got talking to the owner who told us that when he planted the orchard the land had been perfectly level. Since the 2010 earthquakes there is a distinct hump across the full width of the orchard and there are plenty of signs of liquefaction having taken place with piles of grey sand everywhere.

Yesterday we travelled around Christchurch City out to Tai Tapu. En route we saw some signs of damage caused by the 2010 earthquakes but only of minor proportion. The roads approaching Tai Tapu were somewhat uneven but as we pulled into the domain campsite it was obvious that there had been a lot of liquefaction in the area. The caretaker told us that the rugby pitch in the adjacent sports grounds had been totally destroyed. They have now restored it all but don’t think that it will survive the season as it hasn’t had long enough to compact.

The Halswell River runs past the domain and there are a few small Trout and Perch but nothing of any significance. Even on the river bed there are signs of liquefaction where the sand changes from brown to grey.

Today being the 1st anniversary of the terrible earthquake that struck Christchurch last year with a loss of 185 lives, a two minutes silence was held at many places throughout the city at exactly 12.51pm, the time the earthquake struck.

The city is still suffering aftershocks even now with two today although we haven't yet felt them.