Love letter to Wellington 2

We know a thing or two about earthquakes in Christchurch, in fact I would think that we've hosted some of the best earthquakes in New Zealand. I jest of course in my flippancy because in reality they are insidious fuckers that creep up on you without warning. When an earthquake hits you never know whether it is the beginning of something bigger or if it is a mere wobble that serves only to make the day more interesting. When it is something bigger the moment is bad enough. I'll just elaborate for the uninitiated when I say that everything moves: everything rocks, jumps, jolts and rolls. It is the most colossal and unholy noise. In an instant you don't know if you're going to be collected and battered by something falling on you, something that may kill you and the worst thing is that you are completely helpless and at the total mercy of a force that is arbitrary and knows no reason.

Victoria University Law Library

And then you've made it out the other side of the earthquake. There is an eerie calm but for the cacophony of alarms and sirens going off. And then you wonder how your family have got on. What's happened to your friends? Lesser concerns crop up: Is your home alright? What about your stuff? And then when the electricity is off and your water suddenly won't run and you can't get through on any phone to anyone, you realise how alone in the world you are and worst of all, how vulnerable you are. Because you didn't expect to have your basic supplies cut off, you haven't got an emergency supply of water, tinned food, gas for the barbecue, petrol for the car...
Every subsequent shake, wobble and jolt makes you immediately suspect whether this is the one that will kill you and destroy everything you love.

Be under no illusions, earthquakes are frightening no matter how big and tough you think you are.
Christchurch proved this with a 6.3 magnitude quake and 185 people died. This is also why I feel absolutely no sense of spite or malice toward those who experienced the 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Wellington and Marlborough. You've just been frightened out of your wits with one of the most sudden and nastiest shocks a human can experience and I offer nothing but solidarity. It might be a school-night but I cannot recommend having a few nerve-settling glasses of wine or beers enough. Sleep will be hard enough to come by tonight.
Go well.