Cardboard Cathedral

The Cardboard Cathedral is definitely worth visiting whilst in Christchurch. Such an amazing and unique structure with so much history behind it, especially when you learn about its significance following the earthquakes.nnOne of the volunteers, Neil/Nigel? took the time to explain the history to us and was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the cathedral and Christchurch itself. It really added to the experience and gave us a much deeper appreciation for the building.nnA beautiful, meaningful place and well worth stopping by when exploring the city.

We made our stop at the cardboard cathedral after we walked by the new rugby pitch.nnMake sure you read about the unique roof system that they have in place. Made out of heavy cardboard rolls.nnThe staff was very friendly. The church is open so you can have a place to sit down and peacefully reflect.nnThey do have a gift shop with some nice Merino wool gloves and scafs.nnWell worth the trip.

I visited this Cathedral 12 years ago not long after it was constructed following the tragedy of the 2011 earthquake. Its design and construction is testament to its resilience and its architectural style is unique with key components made from heavy duty cardboard columns. The volunteers who work inside the cathedral are very friendly and helpful. They have a wealth of knowledge about the building and the work of the church. The main Anglican Cathedral in Christchurch was heavily damaged in the earthquake but re-construction work is slowly progressing again. The cost of this work is high so public support is very important to achieve its completion in the 2030’s.

Fascinating worship space made of cardboard! Yes it does have a specially designed concrete floor made to move during earthquakes and other non cardboard materal but is predominantly cardboard which can be recycled. It is expected to last 50 years.

Very creative building to use temporarily while the old cathedral building is being extensively rebuilt due to the earthquakes around 2010 and 2011. The choir was practicing this afternoon while we visited and it was a nice treat. It really has a lot of cardboard in a steel skeleton! It is nice that it’s open to the public!

Directions to Cardboard Cathedral with public transportation

---