Bowenvale Valley

I'm standing near the road end in a small valley - Bowenvale Valley, 5mins drive from my place.

Behind me the trees thin out to steepening tussock slopes stretching up the head of the valley to the Summit Rd on the Port Hills. Above me on each side are steep slopes with rocky outcrops. In front of me beyond the autumn colours are houses on either side of the road that gently slopes down the valley, which widens out before reaching the Heathcote River.

I needed to come up here on a errand late today. It was a bit of a shock. I knew the valley was badly hit in February's earthquake. Many houses have complete walls missing. Brick and blocks are mostly neatly stacked and most building paper is covered with plywood. Some places show bare timber framing and building paper. Some houses have most of their bricks and blocks stacked on the ground.

One house has a huge boulder the size of single garage sitting at the back. It dislodged from above but it's difficult to tell what path it took.

Some houses are empty, others have signs of life - shoes lined up beside front doors, washing on lines, neighbours talking to each other. A number of houses have tremendous roof damage, with entire roofs blanketed with tapaulins. Resilience was the word that sprung to mind.

Sobering stuff in a leafy lined suburban street. It didn't feel right to photograph any of it. So many signs of normal life as people get on with their day to day lives in conditions that are far from normal.

It's always been a beautiful valley and it still is. And it's only 5mins away.

(I do indeed have a cold, not a bad one but the sneezing part is tough on my ribs).

Yesterday was Bob Dylan's 70th birthday. Happy birthday Bob. Nina singing Bob