Author: Paul

By Bernard Spragg. NZ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/33071903003/, CC0, Link

On 22 February 2011, Christchurch was hit with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The area was devastated and 185 people were killed.

One year later, a local artist, Peter Majendie arranged 185 empty chairs, painted white, on the grounds of a demolished church. He was inspired by similar memorials in Oklahoma City and New York City, as well as paintings by Van Gogh. Majendie intended for the memorial to be temporary, perhaps only lasting a few weeks, but the residents of Christchurch had other thoughts. The site resonated with the survivors, giving them a place of quiet reflection.

In October 2012, 8 months after the installation, the church requested that the memorial be moved so that they could rebuild. Majendie acquired a new location near the site of another demolished church, which is where the chairs are now. The city is planning a major build out of the area, including a new soccer stadium, so it will need to be moved yet again, and a foundation that Majendie formed is seeking a permanent location.

For a nice blog article on the memorial written right after it was first installed (in the original location), consult Adrienne Rewi’s Blog

Those who had a seat before the hint included:

• hhgygy
• David Kozina
• mehmet durmus
• Glenmorren
• Garfield
• Ashwini Agrawal
• Eloy Cano
• Phil Ower
• Lighthouse
• Andy McConnell

and those who had to travel to the new location (after the hint):

• Gillian B
• Blaze
• Tuxedo Jones
• rob de wolff

Advertised as “The Highest Skating Rink in the World” (it’s not, there’s one in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA that, at 3445 m is over twice as high), Medeu is a speed skating rink that is also used for Bandy (similar to hockey, but with a ball instead of a puck).

Upon its completion in 1951, Medeu became the premier training and competition site for Speed Skating for the Soviet Union. Many world records in speed skating were set here until the costs of maintaining and promoting Medeu proved to be too much for Kazakhstan post-USSR.

In the summer, the site was used as a concert ground where the “Азия Дауысы” (Voice of Asia) music festival from 1990 to 2004.

The site is protected by a mud-flow dam just to the south (slightly out of the picture).

Those who found this place before the hint included:

• Phil Ower
• David Kozina
• mehmet durmus
• Garfield
• Andy McConnell
• Lighthouse
• Eloy Cano
• hhgygy

and after:

• Rob de Wolff
• Tuxedo Jones