Where do seismologists go when in Christchurch? Well, we were thinking a lot about the 2010-11 earthquakes, especially after walking past the seriously damaged cathedral in downtown Christchurch.
We decided to learn more about these events and remember the stories of the people who experienced them by visiting a museum called Quake City. The museum had a nice assortment of exhibits including video footage of the earthquake, first hand stories from people who experienced the quake, pieces of damaged buildings, educational materials about the faults and tectonic environment that caused the earthquakes, and exhibits highlighting the resilience of people following the quake and the recovery efforts.
The earthquakes inspired an "AfterShocks" beer, pictured below, as well as a fund- and awareness-raising effort to sell locally-made wool socks called "Aftersocks".
Children's authors wrote several creative books inspired by the earthquakes and their impact on the community including Quaky Cat by Diana Noonan and Gavin Bishop and Kia Kaha, the Cathedral Mouse, by Clare Erasmus. Moo and Moo and the Little Calf too by Jane Millton was inspired by the 2016 14 Nov. M7.8 Kaikoura earthquake, which led to a number of cattle being stranded on small promontories of land after their surroundings dropped downwards.
After our visit to Quake City, we strolled along the Avon River to view the Memorial to the people who lost their lives in the earthquakes -- ~185 people died in the Feb. 2011 earthquake alone. It was a somber and sobering tribute to the personal impact these disasters had on families and the communities of Canterbury.
