
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
One of the “silver linings” (if you can say that considering the tragedy involved) to the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes of 2010/11 was that major new plans could be put into place for the design of the city.
Generally renovation of a city is done building by building, but in this case, with entire city blocks erased, the City Council had a bold idea.
They have obviously been in long negotiations with tens of land owners, the result has been the purchase of land from many of them, enough to make one large plot of land in which it is now possible to place something new and unique.
The sign tells me that this is going to be the “Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre”.
There is a taster of what to come in the mural that rings the construction site: “Part IV, This Story Closes But Actually Just Begins…” https://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=91286&action=edit .
Of course the site is only in its foundation phase and as of yet there is not much to see.
Since our trips to New Zealand only occur every few years, or sometimes a lot longer, there will of course be something a lot more substantial in this spot next time I visit.
Christchurch has been long overdue a place like this, it’s central and will hopefully be a very special place that local people, visitors and others involved in exhibitions or conventions held there will remember as one of the highlights of their time in Christchurch.
This post is here so that I can refer back to how things were right at the start. I also took from a Google Earth screenshot of the site. It’s taken from Colombo Street close to Armagh Street looking back towards Cathedral Square. Near the “30” sign in the center is roughly where Gloucester Street continued, the large Central City Public Library was on the right hand side of the street at the end by Oxford Terrace. The amount of individual buildings lost here is almost beyond belief. The next phase of renewal will be yet another change in the cities landscape, but this time, luckily not one of destruction.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Screenshot Kiwidutch, courtesy and © Google Earth