I went to a meeting on a building site in the city today. It was across the road from a building site, and beside a building site, with a few more building sites behind it. Afterwards a jumped in my car and drove down Colombo Street, flanked by building sites.
It feels like it’s taken forever, but it’s finally happening. Building is everywhere.
I remember a few weeks after the quake driving down Barbadoes St when they finally opened it. It was nighttime and the city was completely dark – no power means no city lights. Each intersection I drove through I could see the black, and eventually I had to pull over because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see properly.
I missed the city so much and I still do. But then driving through the middle of it today and listening to the sound of construction made me so happy.
They are giant steel-framed things, built zillions of percent above code, green and all that. The bus exchange looks spectacular. It’s been a tough four years, but days like today make me feel excited for our future.
The Secret Life of Bebe 