Photo NZHerald - Photo taken from hills above Christrchurch in moments after earthquake strikes

At 12.51 pm on Tuesday of this week as people were going about their normal lives - as Cafe's bristled with the lunchtime crowds and as streets and workplaces were full - Christchurch was struck by a violent and devestating earthquake.

Slowly throughout the afternoon and evening a small sense of the gravity of the situation started to dawn on us. The nation watched throughout Tuesday night the images on television and the Internet, and slowly the realisation dawned on us that something similar to what we are used to seeing in far-away countries was this time happening to the city and people of Christchurch.

An image that remains in my mind is of the rescue efforts by ordionary Kiwi's in the immediate aftermath of the quake - there are many hero's and amazing stories of courage and bravery by 'ordionary' people. As the evening went on it became clear that many of the Emergency Services people working to help free survivors were themselves effected with lost homes and unknown whereabouts of family and friends. I think someone once said something like 'Extradionary measures call for extradionary people' and I think they were right.

As I write this on Sunday evening the death toll continues to climb with 146 people conformed dead and more than 200 missing. The enormity of this loss of life is just so tragic and words are simply inadequate. I send my heartfelt thoughts to all those who have lost a loved one and those affected by this tragedy.

As the days have passed some truly inspiring stories have filtered through of bravery and heroism beyond normal imagination and we are reminded that the human spirit is strong. Indeed we have seen the very best of humanity displayed before us as the people of Christchurch and New Zealand as awhole have displayed untold examples of willingness to help and comfort our fellow Kiwi's at this time.

Unfortunately a small minority have also displayed the worst aspects of humanity as there have also been lootings, burglaries and people who have purposely wasted authorities time etc

But back to the positive - a website has been set up for the benefit of Christchurch citizens who want to escape the city for a while - it will match those people with the many thousands of people wanting to open their homes across New Zealand. The site is www.quakeescape.org.nz

In terms of what we can do here's the link to donate to the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal: http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate

This is not only a New Zealand disaster but an international one also with people lost from many countries around the world. For example within the CTV building which completely collapsed there was an English teaching school where many international students were attending class when the quake struck.

The response has been international too with dedicated and very welcome specialist search and recovery teams being sent from Australia, USA, UK, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Singapore etc

There may be a future post on this disaster perhaps looking at this earthquake from the perspective of the heritage that has also been lost - the loss of history is untold and very tragic as can be seen from the before and after photo's of the Christchurch Cathedrial which in many ways represents the heart of this fine city.

Photo's courtesy of the NZ herald

For those unaware it is important to understand that Christchurch was actually struck by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake about five months ago on September 4 2010 at approximately 4am in the morning. Increadibly there was no loss of life which was certantly due to the hour in which it struck. Since then Christchurch has suffered countless aftershocks leading to this weeks mammoth quake.

I want to finish this post with a poem written by entertainer Gary McCormack who penned it after being thrown off his feet when the earthquake struck.

Hat-tip to the New Zealand Herald who reported:

"McCormack was standing outside the More FM building when the 6.3 magnitude quake struck and says he realised the seriousness of it immediately.

"My poem really is a about anger, because I'm still really cross about the whole thing," he said. "I'm cross at no-one in particular; I'm sort of cross at how these things have happened. "So I did white something. Over the last couple of days when I picked myself off the ground in Christchurh the other day and looked around and saw the absolute pandemonium and the misery and destruction."

What the drummer said to the drum

You miserable low life bastard

We saw you on the fourth of September calling into town on your spineless spine, giving us a flick and looking us over.

It was an earthquake then for the yellow pages. Remember the tourch, the bottles of water.

In September you were just the piano player, tinkling the ivories. In moustache. Pretty out there. Eyeing the women on the dancefloor.

Then my o my you waited!

I saw you the other day run up a blind alley full of hatred and dark breath. Black clouds only pity us.

You held us down on the jagged ground. You shook the strfeets and the city buildings. You tore the spire from the cathedrial.

And all those people.

The tourists taking photographs, the babies taken in pairs, the hikers in the hills.

The ones buried beneath us still.

You miserable bastartd of a thing!

The time has come.

Said the drummer to the drum.

When i can make no sense of it.

World Press Photo have chosen a picture by South African photographer Jodi Bieber as their World Press Photo of the Year 2010.

It is extremely hard hitting but very worthy - it is also worthwhile reading the story behind the photograph and other details to do with the photographer and the competition etc which can be found HERE.

World Press Photo is quite an amazing organisation and a look around their website is definately recommended for all fans of quality photojournalism. I was very pleased to see the World Press Photo exhibition when it visited Auckland a few months ago.

I made a fleeting visit to the opening of the Stone Fields exhibition by Max Thomson at the Letham Gallery, and was glad i did.

I was interested in Max's transition from photographer several years ago to becoming a painter/artist and admit to only coming across his work very recently.

I will need to go back and have another look to do his work justice but from the quick glimpse I did have I would definitely recommend checking the exhibition out yourself if you are in Auckland over the next two weeks.

The exhibition runs till February 14 and details can be found at Letham Gallery site which is HERE