Fresh cracks worry Canterbury rowers

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/The Press

Adrian Henning, vice president of the Union Rowing Club, in their destroyed Kerrs Reach clubrooms, with a crushed boat.

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Fresh cracks in the rowing buildings at Kerrs Reach have raised new concerns over the sport's headquarters in Canterbury.

The significant aftershocks two nights ago have caused more damage to concrete slabs, widening the cracks and forcing structural engineers to revisit the site late yesterday.

"The area around Porritt Park is still live with fresh fissures," said Canterbury Rowing spokesman John Wylie last night.

"Comparing Sunday to today there is 25 percent to 50 per cent more cracking so this is not a resolved issue. Holes that were half a metre wide the other day are now a metre wide and so on. It is quite frightening really."

Wylie said in a number of cases, additions to buildings had pulled away at the point of their join.

"Where the Avon club had added on has suffered quite severely and a piece built on to the Canterbury club has caved in.

Wylie said the ground was still very liquid and a massive amount of sand had been pumped up making the foundations very unstable.

Not only were they damaged but the river had also been pushed up in places.

In the old bed of the river looping Porritt Park huge sandbanks had developed with shoals rising up above water level.

Wylie had also received reports of a massive amount of shelving beyond the Avondale Bridge with new sandbanks having formed and silt piled up. That would create more difficulties for on-water training.

Wylie wondered if out of the disaster might now be the time to find a new flatwater training venue in Canterbury which has been long advocated.

Several options were explored, including one near Christchurch airport but did not progress because of birdstrike fears.

"Wherever we end up we will spend the coming season and possibly the next based around a building site."

Wylie said the Avon club headquarters which was built in 1958 had $100,000 spent re-roofing and upgrading it in recent years. Then an arson attack did $150,000 damage just months later.

"The clubs have actively upgraded but now this has come along you have to wonder if it is the right place to be."

Meanwhile, bowls in Canterbury could be late starting at several clubs. Fours have had significant damage caused by liquefaction and are likely to delay their opening days. The worst hit is the Kaiapoi Riverside club whose artificial surface has been badly damaged.

- © Fairfax NZ News