Aftershock

Wellington sunrise

I have to start somewhere, trying to understand.

The Queens Wharf was beautiful this morning though it was hard to enjoy it without some guilt. Yesterday, in the drizzle at lunch, I was on a ship tied fast to the Aotea Quay in Wellington when the earthquake struck Christchurch. A long way off, the deadly shear waves would not have been felt on the ship because they don't propagate in liquids. Yet we knew something terrible had happened within seconds because some of the maritime crew were from Christchurch and their mobile phones conveyed the bad news. One at least was told of his collapsed house, fortunately without any injury. 

We watched the TV coverage from streetside in Wellington afterwards. It shocked the people in the capital  as they watched the TV screens  inside the Arizona restaurant, the external speakers broadcasting the commentary as they stood in the rain.

For my part, I was touched by how many emails and text messages I got enquiring after my health. I was some 300 km from the epicentre and perfectly safe, thank you all.