New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the Avon River in Christchurch (4)

March 2011 (-43.523 Degrees, 172.609 Degrees) Mono Vale Garden Bridge

We are just west of Christchurch's Central Business District in the affluent residential communities of Riccarton and Fendalton and especially Mona Vale, where this lovely Park sits.

We had previously looked at a profile view of this garden bridge but I wanted to show the timber deck. I thought it was nice that they provide planking in the direction of travel to protect the lower deck and structural elements from the wear and tear of vehicular traffic.

The Park was closed when I visited. Retreating glaciers from the last ice age had deposited loose saturated sands through the region that had liquefied during the earthquake, damaging buildings and bridges in the park and in the city (although this bridge remained open).

The residents of Christchurch were required to remove the ejected soil on their property as a first step in the recovery. People spoke of their 'bit of liquefaction' that had to be placed on the curb for pickup. Probably an attempt for people to feel back in control of their lives. Still, portable latrines stood at every street corner since water and sewer lines had been broken.

New Zealand's Bridges: Mona Vale Garden Bridges across the River Avon in Christchurch (4) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.