Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/597384
(left) tourism new zealand, gabriel goh W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 | W E S T W O R L D 23 The ski-lift-like scenic ride had been briefly closed following a larger quake the year before, when the region had suffered mostly minor casualties. But this second seismic event was far more devastating – and not just for the gondola. When the dust finally settled on Christ- church – one of New Zealand's largest cities with a population of more than 350,000 – 185 people had lost their lives, many hun- dreds more were injured and thousands of buildings had been raked with deep fissures or violently agitated into piles of jagged rub- ble and rebar. "e epicentre of the second quake was only a couple of hundred metres from our base station," recalls Michael Esposito, the gondola's upbeat but tough-as-nails manag- ing director. "And because of the shallow depth and vertical acceleration – plus the weaknesses created by the first quake – it was many times more severe." But after the region's hear trending emergency response and an initial cleanup that revealed the vast scale of the damage – much of it in Christchurch's main Central City area – Canterbury's steely locals were determined to rebuild. Two years later, following a painstaking state-of-the-art seismic upgrade, Esposito flicked the switch on his reinstated attraction. "e reopening was a milestone for regional tourism and a sign to locals that Christchurch was getting back on its feet – it showed that our recovery was well and truly underway." Since then, record numbers of Kiwis have visited the Christchurch Gondola while over- seas figures have also continued to grow. (opposite) A signature red tram trundles by the Christchurch Art Gallery; (below) the city's landmark cathedral was massively damaged during 2011's second earthquake. I t was 12:51 p.m. on Februar y 22, 2011, in New Zealand's bucolic Canterbury region when the ground suddenly rose, lurched and fell like a fiercely shaken blanket. At the Christchurch Gondola – a popular attraction on the edge of the main city – 60,000 litres of water exploded from ruptured pipes and cascaded through the buildings.