On the third anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake, many are starting to see the full potential of rebuilding a city that has lost so much.
At 12.51pm on Tuesday 22, 2011, Christchurch was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, destroying thousands of buildings and ending the lives of 185 people.
Enormous efforts to rebuild - and salvage the cultural and environmental aspects of the city it was once defined by - has emanated a sense of community spirit that only could be felt after a disaster like this.
READ MORE: A personal account of the Christchurch earthquake
But for some, the effects of what happened were felt long after it was over.
"Every now and again I'll see something or hear a story that moves me, an act of love, generosity or thoughtfulness that took place," says Sir Bob Parker, the former mayor of Christchurch.
"In a strange way, I'm more emotional now than I was 60 minutes after it happened."
For the man who helped guide a city when his own family was at risk, Sir Parker is humble about his recent knighthood, attributing the honour to all the people who worked so courageously together through that time.
He says starting over has been difficult but rebuilding is a community act and will take time.
"It will take a long time for us to say we're a normal community again. That could be a generation away in a sense because this trauma, this event will be carried with us for the rest of our lives."
Listen: Sir Bob Parker speaks to Amy Watson
Images of the fatal quake sparked global concern, with the country receiving many offers of assistance in its recovery efforts.
The road to recovery hasn't been an easy one with many people having to start over, but Sir Parker believes the experience has helped people discover something inside themselves that they didn't necessarily know they had.
"In times like these, whole communities rise to another level of inspiration. And on the day so many people did so many courageous things that were outside their normal steer of experience - that will change them forever."
"The future is extraordinary, because of what's happened here and the opportunities that have come out of it, the price has been very high, but this is the thing that will set this community and city up for the next 100 years," says the former mayor.
This year, The Feed's Patrick Abboud went to Christchurch to see how the city was recovering from the 2011 earthquake. Watch his report below:
