Kaikoura - at last
Well, I eventually managed to get up north to Kaikoura to try see first hand some of the damage. The drive up north was fascinating seeing all the emergency works and failed slopes through to Oaro. The road is even more of a roller coaster than it was before the earthquakes and though a great job has been done in the emergency works, there is still plenty to be done in reinstating retaining walls etc.
Driving along the coastal strip into Kaikoura was even more eye opening. A fantastic work effort to get the road open but still obviously a huge amount of work to be done to reinstate both the rail and road network. With my experience in the Port Hills rockfall mitigation, I can see many lessons being applied, including the use of containers but I also wonder who is wearing the risk with so many hazards still being obvious.
The coastal geologist in me was absolutely fascinated by the wholesale changes to the topography and ecology along the coastal strip. I will have to rethink some of my favourite dive spots. Yet, I am pretty sure mother nature and her fascinating ability to adjust will take care of that environment.
On the subject of coastal geology, talk of dredging the Kaikoura marina may be a little optimistic unless of course you use the term very loosely as surely it is a case of rock breaking........
Terra MDC - geotechnics and civils
8 年Great photos Ian, it certainly poses a number of challenges both technical and in a wider social sense too, and the Port Hills *100(0?) scale does come to mind. looking at your photo of the piles though i don't think undermining is an issue, seem to be a few hanging poles there! The whole seabed uplift and seeing the consequence of that immediately on land is fascinating - the river outwash and upstream hydrology is going to be interesting for all those fixed structures. cheers James Molloy
Washbay Supervisor AB Group
8 年It will raise questions about how the river systems now affected by land slide dams, such as the Leader River where it might be beyond the foreseeable future, when that river restores long term hydrological equilibrium. Will the flow regimes be the same? If not, will farmers have to get new water takes issued? How will the ecology change? And so on...
Consultant Planner (Coastal Environment and Resources)
8 年Reverse sea-level rise eh Ian? Focuses the mind wonderfully on how vulnerable Christchurch is to being cut-off.
Managing Director at Heron Construction Co. Ltd.
8 年Just as I suspected Ian - I thought that the deepening of the marina would be more of a quarrying/mining operation rather than dredging. Great update