There was a point during this morning’s media tour of Christchurch’s sparkling new inner-city stadium when a small group of primary school children at the western end of the arena suddenly became excited and shouted in unison.
It was something between a combined shriek and cheer and the noise was magnified by the sparkling new surfaces protected by the roof. When it hit the assembled media who were looking down on the perfectly manicured pitch from a suitably swanky corporate area (a temporary visit only), it quickly became apparent that the atmosphere created by a capacity 30,000 crowd will be something else.
It will be loud.
The stadium, which cost around $683 million to build, won’t be at capacity tonight for the Crusaders v Waratahs match which kicks off Super Rugby’s “Super Round” and begins an era the home side’s fans have waited a long time for, although one wonders why not when every ticket has gone and the place probably could have been sold two times over.
It will be 5000 short of capacity – the full-capacity temporary seating has not been installed (it takes about 12 days to do so) – but even so, the buzz this stadium has created around Christchurch and much further afield will be at fever pitch when the two teams run out in what will be a truly significant and special occasion for the city after the collapse of Lancaster Park’s stands in the 2010 earthquake.
Those who experienced that seismic event in the early hours of a late October morning several hours after Canterbury played an NPC match at the now demolished stadium will all remember it differently. For those on the Cashmere side of the Port Hills it sounded a bit like a convoy of tanks heading up Colombo Street until the shaking started and the panic set in.
The same goes for the big one in February the year after – this time during the day which sadly contributed to the fatalities. The falling masonry created a huge dust cloud over the city. Phone lines were cut, so news of the safety of loved ones was limited.
Back then I cycled home on broken streets past survivors walking away from the city, dazed looks on their faces. On Barbadoes Street, a stone’s throw from the new stadium, the Catholic Basilica cathedral had collapsed. I had attended the funeral of a colleague there a few months previously.
So, yes, this is a special occasion and the hundreds of workers at the stadium this morning – chefs, administration staff, groundskeepers et al, were clearly proud of their new workplace as they readied for it.
As hinted earlier, the well-heeled corporate fan will not want for luxury, but the four modern and open bars for the general public on the concourse are a sign of a grown-up facility that is unique in New Zealand and really there is not a bad seat in the place.
Acoustics aside, the major benefit of the roof is that everyone involved is guaranteed to stay warm and dry. Spectators should be entitled to assume that this will be the case at all modern stadiums but unfortunately they cannot. Eden Park, where even those in the stands are vulnerable to the elements, is a classic example.
The fully roofed arena, with a capacity of 25,000 permanent seats, is the last anchor project of the city’s rebuild. (Source: 1News)
For the players in the four changing rooms, old-style communal showers are out and privacy is in. There are large interior warm-up rooms with high ceilings and air conditioning. It goes without saying that there are hot and cold plunge pools for post-match recovery along with USB charge ports below each player’s locker.
The place is loud. It also smells like a new house – fresh paint and new carpets – and it is only a 15-minute walk to the now plentiful and varied bars and restaurants of a city that has well and truly found its feet after being knocked off it 15 years ago.
Like most things, those that planned and constructed Te Kaha got the name it's known by right, too (officially it's One New Zealand Stadium). Strength and resilience. This place is big for this city and this city thoroughly deserves it.
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