Christchurch Earthquake...
4:35am September 4th 2010. One of the biggest days in NZ history! The whole of the country shook - and it really did shake! A 7.1 magnitude eathquake, 10km deep and 20k outside Christchurch City. People all over the country woke up - Everyone in Christchurch certainly did, as their houses moved vigourasly for probably 40 seconds. The most sureal experience of our life! Over $4 billion worth of damage, people's homes no longer livable, buildings and roads split in two, cracks everywhere.....but a MIRACLE that nobody was killed! So grateful to God that it was at 4:35am - peak sleep time. Gratfeul for the NZ building codes. Grateful for the stories of many who made quick escapes. Even grateful for the experience, as it brings a fresh mindset or mortality and what's really important in life.
Our experience was both being woken up in bed by the house starting to shake. Realising it was an earthquake and not having experienced anything like we were feeling at that time, we ran under the bedroom door frame. It just got worse after that as we held each other and struggled to stand up. It was pitch black, as the electricity had gone and we were scared! (to put it mildly) It was amazing the house was still standing after all the shaking! When it stopped (although it continued to roll for quite a while) we prayed, found our torches, then went outside and talked to a few neighbours who were already on the streets. We knocked on a few peoples doors to make sure they were OK, spent the morning at one of our neighbours listening to their radio & police band-radio - in shock! At daylight we could see only minor damage on our house; cracks on inside walls, cracks in the garage, a few contents smashed or damaged, but thankful everything else ok. Here's a video of our after earthqauke experience:
It isn't just the 7.1 earthquake that had an effect. It's the aftershocks too - over 1500 in the first month and still counting! Being woken up every night for the first week and still being shaken up for quakes that still shake the house, sometimes magnitude 5 or above! Over the next few days we found out about the effects it has had on the rest of the City and surrounding areas. Many people have had to move house, older buildings in the city centre have been damaged badly, some of which already been demolished. Soil liquefaction occured throughout the city, as silt/sandy type material, came from the earth up through cracks onto road, lawns and into homes! A state of emergency was called, a curfew imposed on the night, as looting was happening. Many left the city, as aftershocks had an ongoing physological effect and schools and many businesses were closed for a week or so. Buildings are given a green, yellow or red sticker, according to their stability and the governments Earthquake Commission is going through the 100,000 claims lodged within the first month.
For videos of the actual eathquake (not much as everyone asleep), click on these links:
TVNZ Report of the earthquake:
Here are some photos we took:
Went for a walk on Sat morning -someone lost both sides of their house!
Local Petrol Station seen better days...
On a bit of a lean...
Shops at the end of our street - eventually fully demolished.
At the local park
James' office (no it doesn't usually look like that!)
2010 has been a year of celebration and sadness. We have attended 4 of our friends weddings: Matt & Deborah Swaney, Sarah & Chris Barker, Jason & Katie King and Chris & Lisa Grant (coming up) - great people who we wish all the happiness too (4 years of married life gives us permission to tell you married life takes hard work - so dont give up when it gets tough!) We also said a sad farewell to Amy's Nanna, Marjorie, whose 89 years on earth had been a blessing to so many. It brought the family together though, as Amy's Dad, John, flew in from England and Amy's sister, Jen, flew in from Aussie. We do miss our families - but thank God for technology which allows us to talk weekly.
It's been an interesting year of sport in the Ridpath house. James' 5 a side footy team "The Tigers" won their league at the beginning of the year - the winning beers are.....still sat in the garage. His Nomads 11 a side Div II team made a spectacle of most games, and kept the audience entertained. Our last 7 matches ended 5-1, 5-1, 8-2, 5-1, 6-0, 6-0, 7-1 - some of which we won. We finished the season in 6th, and at Nomads end of year Centenary Prizegiving, James received the joint top goalscorer for the club (13) and the Players Player of the Year - not bad for a slowing 31 year old. Amy played for Halswell B and within the season, they got promoted TWICE! Captain Amy was also awarded the MVP trophy at Prizegiving, so our piano displays our trophies with pride. She is also part of an indoor netball team and the school teachers have just started an outdoor summer tournament. James has also just joined a futsal team at QEII, as we both aim to stay fit in the summer months. A bit in our change of Ice Cream & Lollie diet will also help...
But our favourite day was spent at Pearl Habour where we soaked up the history of one of the worlds most important battles. When the Japanese attacked the US fleet at Pearl Habour (not Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett or Kate Beckinsale) on December 7th 1941, it brought the USA into World War 2 - on the Pacific & European fronts. Destroying battleships, aircraft, and 2,402 people, the Japanese only took a minor 65 casualties! 
On our final day we headed to another of the wonders of the world, The Grand Canyon! We treated ourselves to a helicopter ride (saving hours on a coach) and for both of us a New experience! We chose a large company as we presumed they'd have the most experienced pilots - but we ended up with early 20 something Kate! She actually turned out to an awesome pilot and the views were pretty awesome! It's hard to actually see the Canyon in all its context, but we flew down into one area, took some photos, had a picnic, then flew back! Pretty special.
