The Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 – 2011

The Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 onwards, a personal view. All the history books I have read talk about the earthquake of a certain date which struck a place as if that was it. Like it was all over in a day or so, even allowing for the aftershocks. If one was not there then this is a pretty good approximation.

However being there things were not quite that simple.

The following pages are experiences of the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 near the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. I wrote this account in July 2011, some ten months after the start of the period of shaking. No doubt there are some points which I have forgotten with the passage of time and aftershocks.

I have written this for two reasons. a) to leave a record for others who find themselves in the same situation and b) as part of dealing with the experience.