My Side Of The River
Although it’s started to get a little chillier and more autumnal over the past week, here in Christchurch NZ we’ve had some fabulously mild autumn weather over April-May: almost an “Indian autumn”—as opposed to “Indian summer” since the latter is well behind us now with today being the first day of winter. We’ve had some fabulous auutmn colour, too, with the likes of the cherry tree (of the ‘wild white’ variety, nuthin’ fancy-dancy) in my garden putting off its usual autumnal bronze in favor of crimson and fiery scarlet.
But one weekend in early May, while we were still in more Level 3 mode (ie not as restrictive as full lockdown but still reasonably so), the weather was positively balmy, so much so that I ventured out for my walk in shorts (yes, shorts, and in May: I know!), as well as taking a precautionary approach with sunscreen and hat. “Indian autumn” indeed!
Because Level 3 allowed for longer walks and the ability to venture beyond 2 kilometres from one’s own front gate, in combination with the sunshine, I ventured forth into a section of Christchurch’s Residential Red Zone* where I used to walk all the time but haven’t been for over nine years. Pretty much since the February 22nd, 2011 earthquake which trashed that part of the world. All of which is why this post is categorized as an “Earthquake Report” (although “post earthquake” would probably be more apt) as well as being of more ‘General’ interest. (Or so I hope.)
A major reason I didn’t walk there for a long time was because although the people had been bought out by the government and mostly moved on, it took quite a few years to clear all the houses. And tbh, I found it sad enough on my side of the river, seeing what had once been peoples’ homes lying derelict, with grass and weeds growing up around the windowsills, without venturing farther afield simply to experience more of the same.
The reason for putting off crossing the river since the houses were cleared and it’s effectively become a ‘green zone ‘ is two-fold. Firstly, I can get in a very reasonable sort of walk on my home side of the river, without needing to cross over. Also, crossing over is a much bigger commitment now than it used to be, since the most accessible walk is a ca. 7 kilometre block from my starting point.
Pre-earthquake, there was a lovely little footbridge roughly halfway into the “block” that allowed me to lengthen or shorten my work depending on the time available. But the footbridge, alas, was spectacularly munted by the first, September 4 2010, earthquake and comprehensively trashed by February 22nd, so it was, not surprisingly, removed for safety reasons. Once the decision to “red zone”* a significant portion of the residential area on the far side of the river (to me) was made, there were (obviously, imho) more important uses for everyone’s money than replacing the footbridge. So although I can still cross the river at either end of the “block”, once across it does mean committing to the full 7 km walk, which constitutes a reasonable length of time when on foot.
On that palmy-balmy day in early May, though, encouraged by the general amazingness of the day, together with the certainty that winter is coming so such days and the opportunities to get out and enjoy the greenery-rivery environment would be unlikely to last that much longer, I decided to go all ‘nike’ and ‘just do it.’ And it really was a great walk, although I wouldn’t be keen to undertake it in the full blaze of summer.
You see, I needed the hat and the sunscreen that day, with the levels of warmth and sunshine at mild autumn levels, chiefly because a significant number of the shade trees on the far side of the river have been removed—I assume to make way for the stopbanks that were put in as emergency works post earthquake. (The reason for doing so was because there was so much subsidence with major risk of wholesale flooding while people were still living there, before the area was “red zoned.”)
So even though the stopbanks were probably necessary, and despite there being an intention to substantially “green the red zone” in future, for now there is very little shade, all of which means it will be a long hot slog in summer. A lot of the river bank trees were large, too, and ”as we all know (or so I understand), it’s the big trees that provide not only the most environmental benefit in terms of cooling and putting oxygen into the air, but exponentially more of such benefits than their smaller comrades. So despite the beautiful day, I did feel a little sad on a number of levels.
Not all the trees have gone: I did encounter a few old friends, but despite enjoying the expedition I was glad to get back to my side of the river, where overall there are a great many more trees to provide a shade that makes the river walk much more enjoyable on hot days. And as some of you may recall from a few years back, I really am very fond of trees. I will confess to being a little un-p.c. in my liking, too, as although I prefer NZ’s indigenous evergreen species when I get out into the vasty wild, in more built up areas I believe there’s a real case to be made for some of the introduced deciduous species.
This isn’t just because of the pretty autumn colours and new growth in spring, but because they let through sun in winter while providing shade in summer, definitely enhancing something like the river walk on a seasonal basis. The native plants used in such areas tend to be smaller, too, as well as evergreen and dense, so they cut off views as well as sun. Such planting can present safety concerns, too, if one cannot either ‘see or be seen’ by others. From observation in my own garden, which contains generous plantings of both native and introduced species, native bird and insect life appear to thrive in both. And regardless of location, because of the environmental benefits in terms of air quality and environmental cooling, I think we should be trying to retain as many mature trees as possible, for the duration of their life cycle, and replace or companion plant with alternative species where transition is considered desirable.
So there you are, a move from reflection on the merits or otherwise of sticking to my side of the river, with all the whys and wherefores around that, to what some may see as being a little more controversial. But airing of reflection and opinion, for better or worse, is what blogging is about, after all, and this particular blog is “…about Anything, Really.” And I suspect those of you who read it, as well as my books, know that observations and reflections on the “green world” are likely to from part of the mix. 🙂
Otherwise, I hope you are all doing as well, and staying as well, as you can in these ‘interesting times.’ Keep taking care and have a good week.
*You may have gleaned this from context, but the "Residential Red Zone" comprises all those areas of Christchurch, chiefly in the east where I reside, that were deemed unliveable after the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011. As a result the government bought out the property owners, requiring or enabling them (depending on your point of view) to relocate elsewhere in the city. The process of repurposing the Red Zone, including for "greening" projects, is currently ongoing.
—
Coming Up Soon on Supernatural Underground:
Just a heads-up that when the clock clicks over into Monday June 1 on US standard time, I shall be posting Instalment 5 of my Worldbuilding in Fantasy series on the Supernatural Underground blog. Just in case you missed it, last month I featured the wonderful world of Palimpsest, in the book of the same name, by Catherynne M Valente.