Severely damaged Christchurch Cathedral will be rebuilt.
When I visited Christchurch two years ago I wrote about the damage from the 2011 earthquake and the redevelopment that had started.
On my latest New Zealand trip I returned to Christchurch to see what has changed in the ongoing redevelopment of the city. One of the first things I noticed was that the shipping container shops are gone. They closed down during the past year to make way for more permanent structures. It also quickly became apparent that e-scooters are now a popular mode of travel in city centre.
An electric scooter will get you there quickly.
I learned that the iconic cathedral, once slated for demolition, will now, after public protest and infusion of government money, be rebuilt. One of the first public structures to be established in the new Christchurch was the Bus Interchange which opened mid 2015. It was my arrival point in the city centre in both December 2016 and December 2018. A new central library opened in October 2018. The convention and exhibition centre Te Pae, billed as a gathering place for the 21st century, is due to open in 2020. Ravenscar House, part of the Canterbury Museum, will be rebuilt to a new design.
The Bus Interchange opened mid 2015 to replace an earthquake damaged building.
Tūranga, the new central library opened in October 2018.
A child examines a sculpture in the new central library.
One of the story boards around the construction site for the new convention and exhibition centre, Te Pae.
Ravenscar House, part of the Canterbury Museum, will be rebuilt to a new design.
Various commercial buildings have been rebuilt, several since my last visit, and new businesses are springing up too. Some central city housing has been built and more is under construction.
The Crossing is a retail development that opened September 2017. I visited the supermarket there each day.
The stunning Deloitte building was completed in April 2015.
The new Westpac NZ bank building opened June 2018.
The Little Fiddle Pub proudly proclaims it was "established 2018".
I found this to be a very classy looking car park.
Housing is an important component of the redevelopment plan for the city centre.