Day 4 Donnell Sports Park Liquefaction

Day 4 arrived sunny and warm and I decided to head to Donnell Sports Park to see first hand the results of the Christchurch Quakes on this part of Christchurch. I already knew the land has been “Red Zoned”, which means that the land is deemed unable to be rebuilt upon. In case you are wondering if there is a family connection to the area, there is. My great grandfather’s family had a dairy farm from 1900 that once included the 5 hectares of land that the Donnell Sports Park is on.

My Poppa, Ivan Donnell, grew up on the farm, which had a New Brighton Road address, and when he married my Nana, Clarice, they moved further along New Brighton Road. I had noticed a few weeks ago that the house had been abandoned, and knowing that demolition of Red Zone residential homes would begin in February, I decided it was a good day to take one last stroll down memory lane.

As soon as I approached the area, I could easily see why the land had been zoned Red. For want of a better term, it had been liquefied. I drove past my grandparents’ old house, down Stour Drive and into Brooker Ave. At first glance, the park looked okay, but once I got out and walked around, I could see huge pockets of liquefaction in the grass. Then I came to the basketball and tennis courts. The damage to them was incredible.

The Tennis Courts are Liquefied

I spent some time walking around the park, then headed down Dunair Drive, out onto New Brighton Road, and along the river to where the Burwood Post Office once stood. I’m sure there used to be a memorial plaque there, but it was either hidden in the overgrown rose bushes, or it had been buried when they did urgent repairs to the river bank.

I remembered coming over here when I was little to visit the person who lived in the old cob cottage. My grandparents told me lots of stories about it, and also shared what they knew for an unsung heroines article at the Christchurch City Library.

And so, across the road to my grandparents house. It was definitely abandoned. There was so much liquefaction on the property. How heartbreaking for the people who had lived there. I could see they had started renovating the old house. I looked in windows and the memories came flooding back. So many happy holidays there. My Nana had always loved her view of the river and across to the Port Hills. I felt relieved that this had not happened in their life time.

I lived around the corner from them for a few years. I remember one night coming to visit them, and asking my Poppa if the River Avon had ever flooded and burst its banks. Not in his lifetime, he said. Sadly it took the Christchurch Quakes to make that happen.

In the abandoned garden I could see a rose bush blooming. I remembered it from my childhood. I cheekily picked a rose to take home.

Then I headed back to Donnell Sports Park, via Stour Drive. I looked at all the houses in this area, the ones that had been built during my childhood, and thought that I’d probably played in most of them as they were being constructed. Now they were all condemned.

I was glad to get back to my car, to escape the fine dust that the liquefaction silt turns into. My walk took 45 minutes in all, and my heart goes out to the people that have lost their homes in the area. Some have already left, whilst others are hanging in there until they can clear their heads enough to make a decision about their future. And even though it’s been several years since we left the area, I feel as if a huge chunk of my own history and memories are being liquefied thanks to the Christchurch Quakes. Kia Kaha, my fellow Earthquake Veterans.

Deb Donnell