I came across this, and thought it VERY interesting. This link is for a video clip showing the effects of the Feb. 22 earthquake on the Gift Shop in the Christchurch Art Gallery. Interesting to see what looks like initial high-frequency shaking, then the later, low-frequency waves (a shift from shaking to intense rocking). Take a look.
http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/multimedia/film/documentation/shop-earthquake-footage/
Later,
Trent.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
More Tremors!
The last 24 Hours have been very exciting here in Christchurch. Yesterday afternoon I was at home with Aya and Rowan, and the city was rocked by yet another substantial aftershock. It was a 5.5, and the epicenter was again virtually inside the city, just a few hundred meters off the beach at Sumner. Aya, now an earthquake veteran, was under the table hugging a table leg like a shot! They have earthquake drills at Aya's daycare, and she responds instantly now to large tremors. Rowan and I just stood there, though. We're not as well-prepared as Aya, clearly! Shelley was at work at the time, and she was under her desk pretty quickly (another earthquake-ready Cantabrian). They started to evacuate the University (as they do after major tremors), so Shelley came home. We read the news on the internet, and were relieved to see that there had been little damage - a church collapsed, trapping a few people for a short while, but no major injuries.
She had only been at home for an hour or so when a second, larger tremor hit the city. This tremor was noticeably stronger - I was upstairs looking out the window (again, I just sat there), and was fascinated to watch all the trees in the neighborhood sway violently. This time it was a 6.0, which is certainly large enough to do some damage. Several buildings (and a small bridge) collapsed downtown, but they were buildings that had been previously been red-stickered and were unoccupied. Again we watched the news, and were again relieved to hear that no one had been seriously injured. Whew! The epicenter for this one had been in Lyttleton, and was very shallow, hence the 'jerkiness' of the tremor. (Yes, you really do get a feel for the 'texture' of earthquakes after you've been through thousands of tremors.)
For the first time, there was real damage in our house. Our hotwater tank ruptured, and water was running down through the house. The leak wasn't too big, and we were able to contain the mess with buckets and towels while we figured out how to turn the hot water off.
So today, we're all at home. The university is closed for a day or two (they have to inspect the buildings), so I popped out to the (excellent!) french bakery just down the street to get pastries for everyone for breakfast. Chocolate croissant, pain au chocolat, and custard brioche! Delicious!
We're still a bit sick (our flu has become lodged in our sinuses and won't leave), and my ankle is still a little injured (I can walk, but not easily), but other than that we're doing OK here in ChCh. Shelley says 'earthquake days' are like 'snow days' in Canada; there's nothing you can do about, so just enjoy it while it lasts. She's on the couch, reading a novel as I write this... :)
Still no date on a move back to Canada, though we should know in a week or two when we're leaving.
I've added a link so you can watch the earthquakes unfold in Christchurch. You can adjust how much 'earthquake-time' you want to watch.
If you can't see the link, the website address is http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
Cheers!
Trent.
PS> Just had another tremor... not so huge, but caught me by surprise!
She had only been at home for an hour or so when a second, larger tremor hit the city. This tremor was noticeably stronger - I was upstairs looking out the window (again, I just sat there), and was fascinated to watch all the trees in the neighborhood sway violently. This time it was a 6.0, which is certainly large enough to do some damage. Several buildings (and a small bridge) collapsed downtown, but they were buildings that had been previously been red-stickered and were unoccupied. Again we watched the news, and were again relieved to hear that no one had been seriously injured. Whew! The epicenter for this one had been in Lyttleton, and was very shallow, hence the 'jerkiness' of the tremor. (Yes, you really do get a feel for the 'texture' of earthquakes after you've been through thousands of tremors.)
For the first time, there was real damage in our house. Our hotwater tank ruptured, and water was running down through the house. The leak wasn't too big, and we were able to contain the mess with buckets and towels while we figured out how to turn the hot water off.
So today, we're all at home. The university is closed for a day or two (they have to inspect the buildings), so I popped out to the (excellent!) french bakery just down the street to get pastries for everyone for breakfast. Chocolate croissant, pain au chocolat, and custard brioche! Delicious!
We're still a bit sick (our flu has become lodged in our sinuses and won't leave), and my ankle is still a little injured (I can walk, but not easily), but other than that we're doing OK here in ChCh. Shelley says 'earthquake days' are like 'snow days' in Canada; there's nothing you can do about, so just enjoy it while it lasts. She's on the couch, reading a novel as I write this... :)
Still no date on a move back to Canada, though we should know in a week or two when we're leaving.
I've added a link so you can watch the earthquakes unfold in Christchurch. You can adjust how much 'earthquake-time' you want to watch.
If you can't see the link, the website address is http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
Cheers!
Trent.
PS> Just had another tremor... not so huge, but caught me by surprise!
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 7, 2011
The last week has been rough. Last Saturday I entered a bouldering competition at the Roxx (the biggest climbing gym here in Christchurch); I was having a lot of fun, and actually doing pretty well. About half of the problems / routes were fairly high, though, probably as high as 6m / 20 feet. As the competition was drawing to a close, I fell from the last move of one of these tall problems, and my left foot went between the mats as I hit the floor, and I smashed heel-first onto the hard floor beneath. Instantly, my ankle exploded with pain, and I knew that things had gone south (so to speak). Luckily, my friend Mark (who is doing his PhD here, but lived in Vancouver when we did, and I had climbed with him at the Edge in North Vancouver - small world!) drove me home. After a week of ice, bandages, and elevating my ankle, its starting to feel better, although I am still hobbling around.
And now we're all sick with the flu. Ugh. I am looking forward to being intact again... Rowan and Aya are almost better now, so that's nice. Aya still has a bit of a plugged ear canal (or something) that causes her a lot of discomfort when she lies down to sleep. Hopefully that clears up soon!
I'm really hoping that my ankle gets better soon - I'd love to get up to Castle Hill and do some more bouldering before we leave NZ, but those plans are a bit up in the air now.
We're planning on moving back to Canada sometime in the next month or so. Exact dates are still up in the air, unfortunately. We're hoping to get in on as much of the Canadian Summer as possible! So much nicer than a Canadian winter!
More soon!
Trent.
And now we're all sick with the flu. Ugh. I am looking forward to being intact again... Rowan and Aya are almost better now, so that's nice. Aya still has a bit of a plugged ear canal (or something) that causes her a lot of discomfort when she lies down to sleep. Hopefully that clears up soon!
I'm really hoping that my ankle gets better soon - I'd love to get up to Castle Hill and do some more bouldering before we leave NZ, but those plans are a bit up in the air now.
We're planning on moving back to Canada sometime in the next month or so. Exact dates are still up in the air, unfortunately. We're hoping to get in on as much of the Canadian Summer as possible! So much nicer than a Canadian winter!
More soon!
Trent.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sick and Sore!
Well, it has finally settled in to 'winter' here. The trees that are going to lose their leaves have done so, and we have had several hard frosts (I know, right? Frosts? Poor Shelley...). The dark nights, cold weather, ad winter store displays have poor Aya convinced that Christmas must be just around the corner....
We are all sick - Rowan had it first, then Aya, then Trent and I fell prey to their disease. They had fevers and coughs, but Trent and I seem to have gotten more of a sinus - headache- sneezing version. And poor Trent also sprained his ankle in a bouldering competition last weekend. It is still swollen and sore, and has turned very pretty colours!
For those who haven't seen it yet, here is a link to aa slide show of what the Feb earthquake did to our beloved downtown:
https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602378297983180610
Thank goodness we were in Ilam! It is apparently among the least damaged neighbourhoods. Noone was hurt at the University either, although several buildings are "munted" as they say.
And, finally, long live the Queen!
love shelley
We are all sick - Rowan had it first, then Aya, then Trent and I fell prey to their disease. They had fevers and coughs, but Trent and I seem to have gotten more of a sinus - headache- sneezing version. And poor Trent also sprained his ankle in a bouldering competition last weekend. It is still swollen and sore, and has turned very pretty colours!
For those who haven't seen it yet, here is a link to aa slide show of what the Feb earthquake did to our beloved downtown:
https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602378297983180610
Thank goodness we were in Ilam! It is apparently among the least damaged neighbourhoods. Noone was hurt at the University either, although several buildings are "munted" as they say.
And, finally, long live the Queen!
love shelley
Saturday, May 14, 2011
May 15, 2011 (Yellow Kiwifruit!)
I love the produce in New Zealand. Christchurch has a number of green grocers (another thing I like about the city), often going by names like "The Funky Pumpkin" or "Grower's Direct" or somesuch. This time of year, all kinds of fruit and vegetables have been harvested, and are available. There are cauliflowers, broccoli, and apples, to be sure, but there are more delicious (and exotic, to my Canadian palate) things to be had. Feijoas, yellow kiwifruit, persimmons! They all grow in NZ, and are ripe and delicious when they make it to the green grocer. We bought (yet another) giant bag of perfectly ripe persimmons today. It won't last long in our house!
It was beautifully sunny yesterday, so we went to the beach. I'm trying to get to as many of the local beaches as possible before we leave, so we took the opportunity to knock another one off the list. We went to Woodend Beach - a nice sandy beach with dunes, but it had lots of wood scattered throughout. We spent the day running around, playing the sand. We found the partially decomposed head of a small shark - Aya thought it was very cool.
There is SO many surfing opportunities here. Every beach seems to have a decent beach break. If I was more of a surfer, I would definitely consider moving here - there is surfing everywhere, and almost no one is out there! There are many surfers living in Christchurch, but there are many kilometers with beach breaks.
One of the strangest things about NZ are the men's haircuts. The Mullet and the Rattail are both VERY common! And guys are not wearing them ironically... Everywhere you look, there's a guy with a hardcore, full-on, mullet. I'm still not used to it!
We's like to send out greetings to all our Canadian friends! We miss you all, and with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
It was beautifully sunny yesterday, so we went to the beach. I'm trying to get to as many of the local beaches as possible before we leave, so we took the opportunity to knock another one off the list. We went to Woodend Beach - a nice sandy beach with dunes, but it had lots of wood scattered throughout. We spent the day running around, playing the sand. We found the partially decomposed head of a small shark - Aya thought it was very cool.
There is SO many surfing opportunities here. Every beach seems to have a decent beach break. If I was more of a surfer, I would definitely consider moving here - there is surfing everywhere, and almost no one is out there! There are many surfers living in Christchurch, but there are many kilometers with beach breaks.
One of the strangest things about NZ are the men's haircuts. The Mullet and the Rattail are both VERY common! And guys are not wearing them ironically... Everywhere you look, there's a guy with a hardcore, full-on, mullet. I'm still not used to it!
We's like to send out greetings to all our Canadian friends! We miss you all, and with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
May 5, 2011
Here in Christchurch, we are well into the Cantabrian Autumn. The weather has cooled off, the frequency of showers has increased, and the trees are all shedding their leaves. Still, we are regularly rewarded with summery days, as was the case last weekend. It was a balmy 22C in Christchurch, and Aya and Rowan were keen to go to the beach, so off we went to the beach at Sumner so they could splash in the waves.
Every time we go to Sumner, we think how much fun it would be to live there. The ocean and the undeniable texture that it lends to seaside towns is very much in evidence when you visit Sumner, from surf shops, to cafes, and sand-caked children. While surrounded by multimillion dollar homes perched high above on the surrounding hills, Sumner itself seems low-key and relaxed. Surfers are almost always present in the beach break at Sumner, and last weekend was no exception. Perfect meter-high beach break had drawn several surfers to the ocean.
Aya and Rowan LOVE the ocean. Regardless of temperature or season, they both love to head down and splash in the waves. Aya, in particular, has inherited her father's love of water, and will happily play for hours in the surf and tidepools.
It was also interesting to see how much damage the earthquakes have caused to Sumner. Many houses are underneath the cliffs of volcanic rock that ring Sumner, and several had been crushed beneath enormous boulders displaced by the tremors. Tragic, to be sure, but it also makes one wonder why they were allowed to build in those sites in an earthquake-prone country.
I finished another manuscript this week. It's based on my MSc work (years ago), and is entitled something like "Factors controlling the distribution of a torrential stream invertebrate: Are top-down, bottom-up, or hydrodynamic factors most important?". I re-wrote most of it in the last two months, and now its nice to have it finally completed.
The heat is FINALLY back on at the University, making Shelley MUCH more comfortable at her work. The boiler infrastructure at the University was somewhat damaged, so there was no heat to campus for several weeks. Its back on now, thank goodness!
Anyways, I should get back to work! We should be heading back to Canada sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, so with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
Every time we go to Sumner, we think how much fun it would be to live there. The ocean and the undeniable texture that it lends to seaside towns is very much in evidence when you visit Sumner, from surf shops, to cafes, and sand-caked children. While surrounded by multimillion dollar homes perched high above on the surrounding hills, Sumner itself seems low-key and relaxed. Surfers are almost always present in the beach break at Sumner, and last weekend was no exception. Perfect meter-high beach break had drawn several surfers to the ocean.
Aya and Rowan LOVE the ocean. Regardless of temperature or season, they both love to head down and splash in the waves. Aya, in particular, has inherited her father's love of water, and will happily play for hours in the surf and tidepools.
It was also interesting to see how much damage the earthquakes have caused to Sumner. Many houses are underneath the cliffs of volcanic rock that ring Sumner, and several had been crushed beneath enormous boulders displaced by the tremors. Tragic, to be sure, but it also makes one wonder why they were allowed to build in those sites in an earthquake-prone country.
I finished another manuscript this week. It's based on my MSc work (years ago), and is entitled something like "Factors controlling the distribution of a torrential stream invertebrate: Are top-down, bottom-up, or hydrodynamic factors most important?". I re-wrote most of it in the last two months, and now its nice to have it finally completed.
The heat is FINALLY back on at the University, making Shelley MUCH more comfortable at her work. The boiler infrastructure at the University was somewhat damaged, so there was no heat to campus for several weeks. Its back on now, thank goodness!
Anyways, I should get back to work! We should be heading back to Canada sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, so with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
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