Devastated

We arrived in Christchurch around noon, and I was most anxious to see the classic 150 year old Anglican Church the city was named for and built around. Where was I when the earthquake hit two years ago? Evidently I wasn't affected by the news because as Allan and I walked around the city today, we were amazed by the devastation the earthquake had done. The top of the most photographed spire had collapsed and much of the church suffered damage. As a matter of fact, almost 70% of the buildings in the central business district had collapsed or have had to be razed. It was quite sad to see how much work has to be done to rebuild this city. One creative idea was to create a retail section of 40 stores built entirely of shipping containers. We love the little B&B where we are staying but are beginning to question the decision to stay downtown.
P.S. On our way to dinner tonight we found the spire for the Christchurch Church about 6 blocks from the original site. Evidently they will be building it back on once the structure has been repaired.