Yr 11 Geography trip to Christchurch

An early start on Wednesday did not deter the year 11 geographers from embarking on the longest day to Christchurch and back.

 While in the city we visited the Quake City exhibit in town to get a better understanding of the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes and their impact on the city. A highlight was the liquefaction simulator to help understand why it is such a big issue. 

The difference between the fates of the Christchurch Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was also very interesting. They have the bell from the Catholic Cathedral on display. 

We drove around the city to see the sites of the two large buildings that collapsed in the quake, the CTV building and the PGC building. We also drove past the site of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, which is now a car park next to Cathedral College. 

After lunch at Westfield Riccarton, we made our way back West this time via Darfield. This was to help us to understand why there was less damage and casualties from the 2010 earthquake, even though it was a larger earthquake than the one in February 2011. 

It was good to get a feel for the spaces impacted by these earthquakes.