Tony Marryatt: Talent in Action.

There have been some wild claims made lately about the mysterious talents of Hamilton-based Christchurch City Council CEO Tony Marryatt (above, at lower left in the blue tie, in one of his rare public appearances). As anger over his outrageous pay rise boils over, many wonder about the nature of his influence over Mayor Bob Parker.

Like the vapid Mayor Parker, the answer's probably disappointingly simple.
Marryatt, seen here in action with His Worship, appears to employ a technique much like chicken hypnotism. Click picture to enlarge, decide for yourself.

A Quiet Day Around Lyttelton

Christchurch's port fared badly in the devastating February earthquake. Last week's shakes fortunately caused little further damage. Although much of the town's picturesque architecture is gone there are some significant - mostly wooden - survivors, and a few new arrivals.

From the Lyttelton-Sumner Road.

Christmas tree, Lyttelton style.

Tin Palace, Oxford Street.

Lyttel Piko Organic & Wholefoods, London Street.

Satchmo Cafe, London Street.

Taped-up letterbox, St Davids Street.

On the site of the former Volcano Restaurant, corner of Canterbury and London Streets.

Over the road from the Lyttelton Library.

Mini-dinosaur, corner of Oxford and London Streets.

Backyard bonanza.

Heart of Lyttelton: Where houses used to be.

At the Christchurch end of the road tunnel, architect Peter Beaven's 1964 Tunnel Administration Building. Occupied by a tech firm at the time of the February 22nd earthquake, it's future seems uncertain.

Glasshouses in the nearby Horotane Valley. Another operation supposedly stalled by insurance payout  woes.

Horotane Valley market garden. Despite the shakes, things keep growing.

Parklands: Swampland, a Silent Stadium, and Amber.

The Eastern suburb of Parklands from the nearby Travis Wetland. Much of Parklands is built on land reclaimed from the former Travis Swamp. The damage wrought by Friday's magnitude 6.0 quake was a cruel reminder of the suburb's fragile foundation, leading exasperated residents to call for their homes to be reclassified as beyond repair for insurance purposes.

Liquefaction in the ironically named Atlantis Street, Parklands.

The last straw for many: Ruined homes in nearby Cerbera Close.

A few blocks away in Bowhill Road, an unfortunately not so rare opportunity.

Grass appears through the quake-damaged paving at the entrance to QEII Stadium in Parklands.
Once Christchurch's premier athletic and outdoor concert venue, the stadium has been closed since the devastating quake of February 22nd.

All quiet at the adjoining aquatic centre.

Earthquake  damage to the main driveway and stadium structure.

Rengarenga lilies flourish untended in the stadium grounds.

 Despite the quakes it's still a great day: Amber, William and Dave take advantage of the Avon River stopbanks put in place to minimise flooding from future quakes.

 Amber ready to roll.

Amber's off.

Boxing Day in Sunny & Shaken Christchurch

Beautiful weather at North Brighton, but not many beachgoers.

Lifeguard Meg on the job.

Among the ruins in Linwood Avenue.

Pages Road, Aranui:

As his tenure as Dean of Christchurch Cathedral comes to an end, Peter Beck aims to represent the badly quake-hit Eastern suburbs as a City Councillor.

The Arts Centre seems to be relatively unscathed by the latest shakes.

A notable survivor:
The onetime DIC building, more recently home to Alice in Videoland and The Physics Room gallery.

High Street cafes show evidence of further damage from Friday's events.

The former Globe Cafe is at the right.

Interior of the Globe Cafe.

At the rear of the High Street shops.

Inner-city oasis behind High Street.

Recent damage to the temporarily patched-up building at the corner of Tuam and High Streets.

New damage in Tuam Street.

The former City Council building in Tuam Street, once the home of Millers department store.

Quake museum? Just around the corner from the recently reopened City Mall people peer into The Tap Room. Once a booming watering hole on the Oxford Terrace 'strip', it's been closed since the February quake. 

A glimpse into the City's damaged heart.
Until the February quake the empty plinth in the centre foreground was topped by the statue of Christchurch's 'founder', John Robert Godley.

Liquefaction in Bower Avenue.

The volunteer 'Christmas army' shovel silt in Parklands, one of the worst hit areas in Friday's quakes.

The army's handiwork: Silt awaiting collection in Dunair Drive, Parklands.

The Xmas spirit in Baker Street, Parklands.

The aftermath of a major eruption in Baker Street.

A former grass verge in Baker Street.

Flowers in a nearby garden continue to bloom amid the liquefaction.

Portaloo Santa in Locksley Avenue, Avonside.