Christchurch rebuilds, piece by piece
Christchurch, a city shattered by a devastating earthquake on February 22, is getting back on its feet – “little by little, piece by piece,†says Tim Hunter, CEO of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism.
Nine hundred buildings in the South Island city are being demolished as a result of the earthquake. Two hundred of them have gone already.
Sixteen inner city blocks are still off limits and 17 inner city hotels which account for two thirds of available rooms in Christchurch are not yet accessible.
Hunter says it will be up to nine months before these hotels can be readied for visitors.
Other central city venues closed are the Arts Centre (reopening July16), Tramway (reopening next year), Christchurch Cathedral, Canterbury Museum (reopening July 16) and the Mt Cavendish gondola (reopening later this year).
The Cashel Mall retail and restaurant area on Cambridge Terrace will reopen on October 29.
The new airport terminal at Christchurch, which before the earthquake saw 580,000 direct international arrivals per year, has opened.
The Tranz Coastal train will resume on August 16, but the city’s convention centre will not reopen until the end of 2012.
AMI Stadium, where Rugby World Cup quarter-finals were due to be played, will not reopen until February next year.
Hunter said all adventure activities were operating. “Our only problem is lack of visitors. Like the Australians were asking, ‘Where the bloody hell are you’?â€
Hunter said investment in new hotels and safer backpacker accommodation was urgent. Christchurch’s bed stock had been reduced from 13,500 to 7,100 beds as a result of damage caused by the earthquake.
Christchurch, he said, would build a new city centre and hoped to retain as many of the heritage buildings as possible.
“It’s a chance to make our city safer and greener,†he said.
“We have an amazing chance to build a new public entertainment area and review what our visitors of the future will need.â€
Ian Jarrett
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