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Photo: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Was an art work and memorial to the 185 people who died in the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The chairs were on the site of the demolished St Paul's Church, across the road from the site of the most casualties, the Canterbury Television building, where 115 people died. The chairs were removed in April 2023 and have been dispersed around the city; most are in private gardens, but a few may be visible.
185 empty chairs, also known as 185 white chairs or 185 empty white chairs or simply as 185 chairs, was an unofficial memorial for the 185 individuals who died in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Envisaged as a short-term installation made from chairs painted white, it became a major tourist attraction in Christchurch, New Zealand. Installed at the day of the earthquake's first anniversary, it preceded the official earthquake memorial—the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial—by five years. As of 2017, there was a desire to turn the temporary installation into a permanent fixture. The memorial was closed and the chairs dispersed in April 2023.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The site of the CTV building, where 115 people died was planted as a memorial garden in 2018.
Transitional Cathedral
Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, well known for his use of cardboard elements in buildings. Completed in August 2013 to serve as the transitional Anglican cathedral since ChristChurch Cathedral was damaged in an earthquake in 2011. Unfortunately the original Christchurch Cathedral still has not finished its repair in 2025 so this Transitional Cathedral served and will serve a longer term for Christians in Christchurch. It is built on the site of St Johns church, which was demolished after being severely damaged in the 2011 quake.
Runs on a loop in the central city that takes 50 min in total. Get on and off as you please with your day-long ticket. Tickets can be bought online, on board, or at the office in stop 1 (109 Worcester Street). An annual pass for the tram & gondola is available (adult $99, children $40 (5–15 years), family (2 adults and up to 3 children) $240).
The Gothic revival cathedral was consecrated in 1881 as the seat of the Christchurch Anglican diocese. Damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, the cathedral sat largely untouched for years due to debate over what should be done with it. Removal of rubble commenced in late 2018 and rebuilding work is expected to take 10 years.
A memorial to those lost in World War I and subsequent conflicts. A memorial arch was added to an existing bridge over the River Avon in 1923-24. The arch was damaged in the 2011 quake and reopened after repairs on Anzac Day 2016. The bridge is open all the time to walk across, but has been closed to vehicles since 1976.
This wooden Anglican church dating from 1872 suffered only minor quake damage (it was closed for three months). It has an unusual separate bell tower.