Welcome to Christchurch, the main city in the Canterbury Region of the South Island (Te Wai Ponamu)! The city is the third largest in New Zealand with a population of approximately 396,000 people. Christchurch was given it's name on 27 March 1848 at the first meeting of the Canterbury Association on the suggestion of J.R. Godley, whose college at Oxford, England, was Christ Church. Christchurch was the first city in New Zealand to be established as a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856. This settlement was laid out and a grid city developed. The city began to develop, and most of the Gothic Revival buildings that still stand today were built during this time.
The city has recently experienced the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence which began on 4 September 2010 with a magnitude 7.1 earthquake 4:35am. Luckily, there was considerable damage in central Canterbury, especially in Christchurch, but no loss of life. The epicentre was 37 km west of Christchurch, near the town of Darfield. As a relatively shallow quake – about 10 km below the surface – it produced the strongest shaking recorded in New Zealand.
Unfortunately, at 12.51 p.m. on Tuesday 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused severe damage in Christchurch and Lyttelton, killing 185 people and injuring several thousand people. The earthquake’s epicentre was near Lyttelton, just 10 km southeast of the city centre. The earthquake struck at lunchtime, when many people were across the city. As a result of the earthquake, the government declared a national state of emergency the day after the quake. Authorities quickly cordoned off Christchurch’s central business district. The cordon remained in place in some areas until June 2013. Power companies restored electricity to 75 per cent of the city within three days, but re-establishing water supplies and sewerage systems took much longer - with some still being repaired today.
Today, Christchurch has undergone major transformation as you will see as you travel throughout the city. However, it is reviving and working towards becoming an example of a resilient city following a major disaster.
CHC AIRPORT
Christchurch International Airport was established in 1936 with an aerodrome at Harewood. 10 years later, the form of the terminal area development was established with hangars, a small terminal building, the water tower and some barracks buildings. Christchurch became the first international airport in operation in 1950. Since then, the airport has undergone significant transformations since then. Today, the airport is the second largest in New Zealand with 10 airlines operating, coming from 22 destinations around the world!
Fact: Christchurch become the first international airport in operation in New Zealand in 1950!
GEOCACHE INFORMATION
The placement of the cache is quite close to the airport but it is fully accessible to the public.
Please note: You are unable to park right next to GZ but you can park on a side road. There is a way point available showing you where to park your car. It is on yellow lines but if you are quick, you should be okay. Otherwise, I've made another way point for you which is where you could park and then walk to GZ.
The cache is a large container which is able to hold multiple trackables. Please remember to log any TB’s you place/remove!
OPTIONAL LOG ENTRY: When logging, feel free to include if you live in Christchurch or are here for a visit! Additionally, share your opinions on Christchurch - I'd love to hear them!
HAPPY GEOCACHING!