In my opinion, Christchurch Cathedral Square isn’t necessarily a must-visit destination when you’re in South Island New Zealand. That said, it does have a lot to offer visitors who are interested in history, culture, arts, and just urban views in general. In my visit to New Zealand recently, I decided to check out this iconic gathering place that has been a witness to the country’s history and might also provide a peek into its future.
Christchurch Cathedral Square: A Silent Witness to New Zealand’s History
I started my visit to Christchurch Cathedral Square by dropping by the Bridge of Remembrance. This has been around since 1924 and was initially built to commemorate those who fought during the First World War. Take note though that this is still a bit far from the square proper. Thankfully, you only just need to follow Cashel Street (the street this is on) east until you get to its junction with Colombo Street. From there just follow Colombo Street north and you should find yourself at Cathedral Square.
You could also head north from the Bridge of Remembrance and follow Oxford Terrace until you get to Worcester Boulevard. From there, head east and it should then bring you to the John Robert Godley Statue. So from what I learned when I looked him up, Godley was the founder of the Pakeha Settlement of Canterbury in New Zealand (Christchurch is a city in the Canterbury region).
Directly opposite the Godley State, I came across what I initially thought was a large trash bin. Turns out, this was actually a cairn (similar to the one at the Christchurch Arts Centre) erected here in protest against Environment Canterbury councilors being sacked back in 2010. Instead of trash, what’s inside this was large rocks that are said to have come from the Waimakariri River.
The fact that a protest symbol against the government is still here after more than a decade is quite impressive. Most governments would typically erase all evidence of dissent against them but New Zealand’s approach is quite different. Even for progressive countries, I think this might be on another level.
So just behind the cairn is the Christchurch Cathedral. This is the Anglican Church (just like the Church of the Good Shepherd) of Aotearoa, Polynesia, and New Zealand’s principal church and it’s been around since 1858. It managed to survive the Canterbury earthquake in 2010 but was severely damaged with parts of its tower and its most prominent feature, the spire, collapsing. As you can see, it’s still undergoing a rebuild/reinstatement.
Here’s an explanation of what’s happening to the cathedral. It’s pretty much still a work in progress right now with the steel frames still present outside of the cathedral. This means that they’re still strengthening the cathedral’s walls with the next step being work on its substructure. What impressed me more than the work though is the transparency of the project and how people can actually check on its progress either through this infographic or by just scanning the QR code here with their phones.
Here you can see the Godley Statue and the cairn with the former Chief Post Office of Christchurch in the background. While the Christchurch Cathedral is a prime example of Gothic Revival architecture, this building’s design is Italianate. Both these architectural styles were quite popular in the 1900s which was also around the time the building was first established (specifically around 1877-1879).
One thing I liked about Cathedral Square is that it’s actually quite expansive. That said, it feels a lot less urban than most cities that I’d been to. I guess this has to do with Christchurch being low-rise and not having that many skyscrapers. Compared to cities like Chongqing, I definitely felt less urban fatigue here.
These sort of freestanding signs can be found lined up to the right of the Godley Statue. They primarily feature information about the quakes that hit the region in 2010 and 2011. One interesting bit of info here that was really interesting for me was how earthquake prone New Zealand is.
This infographic talks about Christchurch’s heritage buildings and how they helped shape the city’s identity and history. Of the three buildings shown here, I think you’ve already seen one. Yes, I’m talking about the Chief Post Office building that you saw about two images earlier.
Here’s another infographic talking about the buildings that used to surround Cathedral Square. The buildings shown here are The Regent Theater Building, The Lyttelton Times Building, Warner’s Hotel, and The Press Building. Most of these buildings were from the turn of the 19th to 21st century with the exception of Warner’s Hotel which opened to the public in 1863.
This section of the Square is where you’ll find one of its most prominent art installations: the Chalice Sculpture. Now if you looked this up on the internet then you’ll likely be scratching it doesn’t look anything like the search results. That was exactly my thoughts as the images I found had leaf designs and looked more intricate. Apparently, the sculpture was undergoing its first ever complete restoration since 2001 when it was first installed.
So New Zealand is kind of unique in that their winters are from June to August. So if you want to see the London Planes trees here in bloom then your best bet is to visit in the Spring (September to November) or Summer (December to February) seasons. Personally though, I kind of like how “bare” the trees look here and the heat wasn’t really an issue because of how relatively cool the weather was.
This is the area of the square facing Hereford Street. If you’re feeling hungry or want to have something to drink then just cross over this street and you’ll find a Wendy’s and an establishment that sells milk tea beside it. Once you’ve eaten you can then check out the decorative lighting columns in the mid-ground of this image.
Here’s a closer look at the Chalice Sculpture from earlier with signs showing it’s undergoing maintenance. Like I said earlier, this was installed here in 2001. It was designed by Neil Dawson and was commissioned as part of Christchurch’s 150th anniversary as well as to celebrate the new millennium.
This is one of the infographics that you’ll see printed on the construction hoarding securing the perimeter of the Cathedral. This basically is just asking for donations for the Cathedral’s Restoration/Reinstatement. I’m not sure if this is still the case as of this writing but back in 2024 the NZ government declined to fund this project. Hopefully it does get funding somehow.
These are some genuinely interesting bits of information about the Cathedral. For some reason the one talking about pigeon poop being part of the 24000 tons of debris cleared by a digger (possibly after the quakes hit). If you have time, I highly recommend just reading through these infographics as there are some genuinely interesting and funny things like this that you can learn.
Of the infographics that I saw here, this one was probably the most impactful for me. Its messaging was short, powerful, and focused on the importance of the Cathedral in the city and region’s civic identity. The message of inclusiveness is also quite apt considering how much of a melting pot Christchurch is.
Again, I’m back at cairn this time showing the plaque explaining its history and what significance. You’ll also notice a peculiar looking building in the background. That’s the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre which was built as a replacement for the old Christchurch Convention Centre that was demolished after the 2011 quake.
Now this is the plaque that I was talking about in the previous image. Reading this, you kind of get why people had this cairn installed. It’s really interesting how participative people are when it comes to protecting their rights and the environment.
What is heartbreaking to know though is that despite the people’s efforts, it seems like they still lost. The last paragraph was particularly heartbreaking when it talked about the waterways of lowland Canterbury being unswimmable. I looked into this and apparently, this is true for some of the more popular swimming spots as levels of toxic algae and fecal contamination is quite high in those areas.
Moving towards the Convention Centre, you’ll come across this memorial that’s just outside the area secured by the construction hoarding. This is the Citizens War Memorial and it’s one of the square’s iconic structures. Personally, it’s also one of my favorites just from an aesthetic viewpoint.
Here’s the Citizens’ War Memorial up close. As you can see, it looks really cool! The poses of the figures as well as their contrast with the marble of the memorial makes for a really striking image. Moreover, the figures also each represent virtues like sacrifice, valor, youth, justice, and peace.
What’s great about Cathedral Square is that there are plenty of ways to get to it. A good example are the vehicles in the image. Aside from Metro buses servicing the area, you can also get to and from here by riding the Christchurch Tram. Now you probably think this is a tourist trap but it’s actually a really good way to get around this area of the city.
While they’re old, the trams are actually quite safe. They looked like they were well maintained and I don’t think there have been that many accidents with these (compared to cars and/or buses). Most people would even say that riding this is a must when you’re here.
If you enjoy urban/street art then you’re going to enjoy it here. This mural is by the street artist Cracked Ink and his art kind of reminds me of Adventure Time. It’s very quirky and dynamic which makes it seem like the characters are alive.
This was another impressive mural that I came across here at one of the buildings surrounding the square. Called ‘Honouring Wahine Toa’, this mural is a homage to the legacy of the five women (wahine) featured on it.
And with that my walk around Christchurch Cathedral Square ended. Though short, I ended up learning a lot of things not just about Christchurch and the Canterbury region, but also New Zealand as a whole. There were a handful of notable attractions here (I also highly suggest visiting Christchurch Botanic Gardens here in Christchurch.) and I liked how I didn’t have to pay a single dime to see and experience these. It’s a shame though that the Cathedral has yet to be reinstated/restored. Hopefully it does get the funding needed to finish the restoration so that I can then have another reason to come back.
What are your thoughts on Christchurch Cathedral Square? Ever been here before? If yes then we’d like to hear about your experiences down in the comments section!
