Merepeka: Harsh reality of Christchurch

An abandoned shop in the Red Zone in Christchurch five years after the February 2011 earthquake.

It felt weird looking at the ruin that once was the Christchurch Cathedral.

Collapsed in so many places. A whole wall ripped away exposing rubble, beams and rafters. I could see pigeons roosting in the roof as I peered through an opening in the security wall.

It was put up to keep people out. You wouldn't want to venture inside that demolition area. How they propose to save what they can of the collapsed cathedral, God only knows.

The site look dangerous and bleak. The collapsed side reminded me of photos from the London blitz during World War II. It is a sad sight. Standing abandoned and forlorn.

My friend wanted to show me around Christchurch before I returned to Rotorua on Sunday.

This included visiting parts of the Red Zone. I didn't want to linger in the area. It didn't feel right gawking at the empty grass-covered sections. This was where family homes once were.

All gone now. In one street one house remained. It looked perfectly okay, so I wondered if someone might still be living in it. Possibly. My friend assured me that wouldn't be allowed.

It would be very strange living without neighbours and having had them up and down the street, where are they all now? How have they fared? The roads, even in the areas not affected by the earthquake, seem to be uneven and bumpy. So they must have been affected.

In other areas of the inner city red cones are dotted everywhere, signalling earthworks or buildings under repair. Metal fences and security gates enclose whole buildings.

Rebuilding is apparently in full swing, but there are so many houses, offices and large commercial buildings that don't appear to have had any attention. They are still fenced off. The suppliers of security fencing must have had a field day.

Yes, there are a few new buildings, but I would have thought after five years there would be more to show for a rebuild. Then again, how do you go about rebuilding parts of a city laid to waste by an earthquake?

Developing a plan: what comes first, getting the necessary finance together, sorting out insurance claims, securing consents and having the expertise on hand to deal efficiently with all manner of problems must have been a daunting task.

And this week the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) will close up shop after five years.

Three new entities will take its place. Regenerate Christchurch, Otakao Ltd and the Greater Christchurch Group. I hope they have learnt something from Cera's efforts.

Poor communication and constant delays were things that seemed to rile the good citizens of Christchurch.

Yet Cera oversaw more than 1200 building demolitions and the red zoning of nearly 8000 houses. They could pass on some tips to the new organisations - what they believe they did well and where they could have done better. There is no need for the newbies to reinvent the wheel if they don't have to.

There was no guide to earthquake disaster recovery in the early months for Cera to follow. Overseas expertise must have been helpful but this was without a New Zealand lens.

We tend to like to do things our own way. And when politicians get into the mix there was bound to be ructions. Now we are better placed than five years ago.

Should we have to deal with another earthquake similar to that of Christchurch we can get straight on to it. We know it's not just clearing rubble and getting a city rebuilt over time. It's about repairing lives too.

In the months after the 2011 earthquake my friend thought about leaving Christchurch. He is not a Cantabrian. He now tells me the earthquake has made him one. He is staying put.

- Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.