Avonside
Encyclopedia
Avonside is an eastern suburb in Christchurch
, New Zealand. It is one of the oldest suburbs of the city, with only Heathcote
being older.
, which was build beside the Avon River
in 1855. The 1874 part of the church was designed by the eminent architect Benjamin Mountfort
who is buried in the churchyard. The church was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake
and whilst under repair, was damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
and demolished later that year.
Avonside is home to Avonside Girls' High School
. It also has the Avon River
flowing through it.
The boundaries of the original Anglican parish of Avonside were fixed in 1859 and covered much of what is now suburbs such as Aranui, Burwood, Linwood, Marshland, New Brighton, North New Brighton, Parklands and part of Phillipstown. The area once covered the whole of north east Christchurch as far as the River Styx.
The area borders the Avon River and is built on the rich soils of the Avon River flood plain. In the early years of Christchurch the area was known to be extremely swampy and difficult to travel across.
, Avonside suffered a large amount of liquefaction
. In particular Keller Street, Bracken Street, Retreat Road and Cowlishaw Street were left with large areas covered in water and grey liquefaction mud. Avonside Drive also experienced a great deal of damage with cracked roads and buildings. Power and water were lost, in some cases for several days, and there was extensive damage to the sewer system.
The more devastating 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
worsened the infrastructure and houses of the suburb. Liquefaction and flooding was more prominent than in September, along with the damage to roads, and many houses were more severely damaged along with the land it was built on. Power was lost for two to three weeks for many residents and for many houses the sewer infrastructure needed to be replaced or repaired. The New Zealand Army and many other volunteer organisations based in Christchurch helped residents to remove liquefaction from their sections because of the sheer volume with many streets having large mounds piled up on the side of the road. The Christchurch City Council hosted meetings at a local park to inform residents of necessary information such as the progress of power being re-connected.
Another aftershock struck in June
causing liquefaction and flooding along with damaging houses and the infrastructure of the suburb even more. Later in the month the New Zealand Government announced (along with other suburbs in Christchurch) that many homes in Avonside were part of the so called Red Zone and would be demolished due to the land being too badly damaged to rebuild a house in the near future. Many streets were affected by this decision and residents have until early 2013 to vacate their home and accept compensation deals that are being offered by both the government and insurance companies for land and house. Other areas of the suburb were placed in the city's Green Zone where the insurance companies could begin repair or rebuilding of damaged properties. Many sections and houses in the suburb (mainly on Pattern Street, Retreat Road and Cowlishaw Street) remain in limbo while the New Zealand government decide whether their land can be remediated or not. This is referred to as the Orange Zone. A decision on the fate of Orange Zone sections is expected by Christmas 2011.
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand. It is one of the oldest suburbs of the city, with only Heathcote
Heathcote Valley
-Location:The suburb is dominated by the approaches to the Lyttelton road tunnel, a major arterial that passes through the Port Hills. The road is part of the State Highway 74 network...
being older.
History
The suburb was named after Holy Trinity AvonsideHoly Trinity Avonside
Holy Trinity Avonside was a heritage-listed Anglican church located in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is registered as a "Historic Place – Category I" by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust...
, which was build beside the Avon River
Avon River, Canterbury
The Avon River flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary.- Geology :...
in 1855. The 1874 part of the church was designed by the eminent architect Benjamin Mountfort
Benjamin Mountfort
Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort was an English emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of that country's most prominent 19th century architects. He was instrumental in shaping the city of Christchurch's unique architectural identity and culture, and was appointed the first official Provincial...
who is buried in the churchyard. The church was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
and whilst under repair, was damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
2011 Christchurch earthquake
The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand's South Island at on local time , The earthquake was centred west of the town of Lyttelton, and south-east of the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand's second-most populous...
and demolished later that year.
Avonside is home to Avonside Girls' High School
Avonside Girls' High School
Avonside Girls' High School is a large urban high school in the Christchurch, New Zealand suburb of Avonside. It has more than 1200 girls from Year 9 to Year 13....
. It also has the Avon River
Avon River, Canterbury
The Avon River flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary.- Geology :...
flowing through it.
The boundaries of the original Anglican parish of Avonside were fixed in 1859 and covered much of what is now suburbs such as Aranui, Burwood, Linwood, Marshland, New Brighton, North New Brighton, Parklands and part of Phillipstown. The area once covered the whole of north east Christchurch as far as the River Styx.
The area borders the Avon River and is built on the rich soils of the Avon River flood plain. In the early years of Christchurch the area was known to be extremely swampy and difficult to travel across.
Earthquakes
During the 4 September 2010 Canterbury earthquake2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
, Avonside suffered a large amount of liquefaction
Liquefaction
Liquefaction may refer to:* Liquefaction, the general process of becoming liquid* Soil liquefaction, the process by which sediments become suspended* Liquefaction of gases in physics, chemistry, and thermal engineering* Liquefactive necrosis in pathology...
. In particular Keller Street, Bracken Street, Retreat Road and Cowlishaw Street were left with large areas covered in water and grey liquefaction mud. Avonside Drive also experienced a great deal of damage with cracked roads and buildings. Power and water were lost, in some cases for several days, and there was extensive damage to the sewer system.
The more devastating 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake
2011 Christchurch earthquake
The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand's South Island at on local time , The earthquake was centred west of the town of Lyttelton, and south-east of the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand's second-most populous...
worsened the infrastructure and houses of the suburb. Liquefaction and flooding was more prominent than in September, along with the damage to roads, and many houses were more severely damaged along with the land it was built on. Power was lost for two to three weeks for many residents and for many houses the sewer infrastructure needed to be replaced or repaired. The New Zealand Army and many other volunteer organisations based in Christchurch helped residents to remove liquefaction from their sections because of the sheer volume with many streets having large mounds piled up on the side of the road. The Christchurch City Council hosted meetings at a local park to inform residents of necessary information such as the progress of power being re-connected.
Another aftershock struck in June
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
The June 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a shallow magnitude 6.3 ML earthquake that occurred on 13 June 2011 at 14:20 NZST . It was centred at a depth of 6.0 km , about 13 km from Christchurch, which had previously been devastated by the February 2011 magnitude 6.3 ML earthquake...
causing liquefaction and flooding along with damaging houses and the infrastructure of the suburb even more. Later in the month the New Zealand Government announced (along with other suburbs in Christchurch) that many homes in Avonside were part of the so called Red Zone and would be demolished due to the land being too badly damaged to rebuild a house in the near future. Many streets were affected by this decision and residents have until early 2013 to vacate their home and accept compensation deals that are being offered by both the government and insurance companies for land and house. Other areas of the suburb were placed in the city's Green Zone where the insurance companies could begin repair or rebuilding of damaged properties. Many sections and houses in the suburb (mainly on Pattern Street, Retreat Road and Cowlishaw Street) remain in limbo while the New Zealand government decide whether their land can be remediated or not. This is referred to as the Orange Zone. A decision on the fate of Orange Zone sections is expected by Christmas 2011.