Author(s): Jeff Grigor

Christchurch City & Banks Peninsula | Secondhand

Secondhand.

It was the biggest snowfall in Canterbury and surrounding areas for half a century. Beneath a thick blanket of heavy, wet snow, power poles broke, roofs collapsed, roads became impassable, houses were isolated and power was cut off in some cases for up to two weeks. But the people of Canterbury responded unflinchingly. Friends and neighbours mucked in together. People sought out the elderly to lend a hand or supply hot meals. Families moved in with friends. Four-wheel drive clubs made their vehicles available and businesses supplied goods and services free of charge. This illustrated book recording the big chill of June 2006, drawn from photographs supplied by the people of Canterbury, is also a tribute to a community which rose to the challenge in a crisis.