Life stands still in a vacant coffee shop:
The pavement just outside of the above coffee shop:
The next 2 photos portray one of the first sights that my friend, Rach, saw when she ran out of her office building that day:
(Some of this has begun to go through the demolition process):
Every structure (from house to high rise building) in Christchurch has a "sticker" on it - green meaning it is completely safe to enter, yellow meaning only certain people may enter, red meaning it is very unstable and highly unsafe to enter:
This bridge was a popular place in Christchurch, and when I visited in 2009, I actually walked across it to the city centre. It is called the Bridge of Remembrance. There were some memorials at the gate restricting people from entering the city. I found it really interesting to see someone's physical photographs of that very spot before the earthquake made it's mark. Notice the high rise building that is missing to the right of the arch:
