Shag Rock ('cos Pied Shag birds like to sit on it)

BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST - PLEASE KNOW THAT SINCE I CAN'T GO TO SUMNER MYSELF I HAD TO USE PICTURES TAKEN BY SOMEONE ELSE. YOU CAN FIND THEM AT WWW.THREECHAIRS.CO.NZ NO DISRESPECT WAS MENT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER - I JUST WANTED TO SHOW MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS OVERSEAS THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO PLACES WE LOVE. PETER, PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES FOR NOT PUTTING YOUR LINK ON HERE EARLIER, IT HONESTLY JUST DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME... I WAS TOO BUSY CRYING FOR WHAT WAS LOST. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND TOTALLY SHOW SHAG ROCK LOOKING *EXACTLY* AS I HAVE KNOWN IT ALL MY LIFE. REGARDS SUZY

Shag Rock is gone.

Totally crumpled into the sea.



For those of you that don't know Christchurch, Shag Rock was a huge (like 20m tall??? maybe taller??) outcrop of rock in the ocean near Sumner. As kids we used to look at for it because we knew that once we got to Shag Rock we were either going to get out of the car and play around in Cave Rock at Sumner (and maybe get an icecream) or we were 3/4 of the way to our bach (summer house - pronounced "batch" as in bachelor pad) and just the hilly part was left. We used to take the dog there for a swim. She would swim out in the rip for sticks - she loved it so much - until she was vomiting up sea water and we would convince Dad she had had enough. I have heard that Cave Rock has also caved in but that has not yet been confirmed.

It also occured to me today that I'll never again take the kids to climb up the Cathedral. And I can't take my grandkids there either.

All the beautiful old buildings in town are gone. All the places that I would point out to the kids and say "Nana worked there... Nana was upstairs in that building repairing silk stockings (war job) when she heard that the bomb was dropped on Japan... that was where Nana and Grandad got married... I went to school there (the old CGHS is in BAD shape)... Nana used to get on the tram there... That's where Nana would buy a shilling cinnamon sticks after work on pay day, and eat the lot before she got on the tram..."

I have this sad hollow feeling that my childhood just disappeared. Having my memories alive for the children somehow made it more real, and now they won't know any of my stuff. And this is why you love your hometown... you are wrapped in the history and the love of your family and your childhood.