Then and now: How Christchurch has changed in 15 years
Monday, 23 February 2026
Most of us understand nostalgia: the ache for a place that you have left behind. But what do you call it when you stay where you are, but the place itself has left?
It’s a feeling many in Christchurch have experienced since the earthquakes reshaped the city 15 years ago. Perhaps it surfaces in odd ways: When a street doesn’t end where it used to, or when you struggle to get your bearings in a once familiar place.
It wasn’t obvious at the time, but the earthquakes split the city into two. Old Christchurch was denser, older and more lived-in, but only survives in photographs and memories. New Christchurch is bright and modern, built from glass and steel. The two can be hard to reconcile.
There is a word for this kind of unease. Coined in the early 2000s, solastalgia describes the distress of being homesick while still at home. In Christchurch, it captures the experience of inhabiting a city that only partly resembles the one you remember.
To mark the rise of New Christchurch, The Press has assembled a collection of images of Old Christchurch — taken from the air, from moving vehicles, and at street level — to prompt memories of the city that once occupied the same ground.
These comparisons are best seen with a larger screen. Some images cannot be perfectly recreated, so these should be seen as illustrative.
This section of Gloucester St once contained the central library, a Farmers, and the fortress-like MFL building. It is now Te Pae convention centre.
Original image by BeckerFraser used under CC-BY-NC 3.0
The eastern suburb of Bexley was devastated by liquefaction. This image, taken from above two days after the earthquake, reveals the scope of the damage. The area is now grassland.
This photo was taken by The Press in 2006 for an article about the former bus exchange. It shows the line of historic buildings on Lichfield St, including the Bains Building — once a department store — and Haralds Fabrics.
In late 2007, Google street-view — then an exciting new technology — came to Christchurch, documenting a city that would soon be transformed. This view shows the intersection of Manchester and Worcester St. The building on the left is Greenwich House.
Cashel St, looking east from Colombo St, as pictured shortly after the earthquakes. The Westpac tower in the background was demolished.
Original image by BeckerFraser used under CC-BY-NC 3.0
Looking in the opposite direction, this photo from 2004 shows an air bridge above Cashel St to The Crossing. The tram line had yet to extend down the street.
Original image by Greg O’Beirne, used under CC BY 4.0
The harsh logic of red-zoning meant some houses were written off, while their neighbours were allowed to stay. This is evident in Burwood, where a strict line separates what was once suburbia, but is now red zone.
Strange’s Building and the nearby Westpac Canterbury Centre were impressive, albeit a bit dreary. The current site shows how the city has turned away from concrete to embrace glass.
One of the old city’s most impressive buildings was the Crowne Plaza hotel, originally known as the Park Royal, which overlooked Victoria Square. The site is now open space owned by the Christchurch city council.
A view of Gloucester St, looking east, at the intersection with Colombo St. The shops on either side have been replaced with the Court Theatre (left) and Tūranga (right).
Original image by BeckerFraser used under CC-BY-NC 3.0
This photo encapsulates how much the CBD has changed. The major buildings in the 2004 image, from left, are Ruben Blades, Strange’s Building, Westpac Tower, and Holiday Inn. All were demolished.
Original image by Greg O’Beirne, used under CC BY 4.0
The Regent Theatre in the south-west corner of Cathedral Square was built in 1905, and demolished in 2011. The 17-storey Clarendon tower beside it was also demolished. The theatre site now houses a glass building used for corporate offices.
One notable quality of New Christchurch is its much larger public buildings. An aerial view of Cathedral Square shows the immense size of Te Pae and Tūranga, as well as the proliferation of town houses in the East Frame.
Viscount Place was a cul-de-sac in Horseshoe Lake, captured here by Google street view before the earthquakes. It is indicative of many streets that were later red-zoned — once quiet suburbia, now wilderness.
The impressive Manchester Courts building, on the intersection with Hereford St, was the city's first commercial high-rise building. It was heavily damaged in the 2010 earthquake and was demolished before the 2011 quake. The site now contains townhouses and apartments.
Original image by Greg O’Beirne, used under CC BY 4.0
The QEII Park and Stadium near New Brighton was built for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. It is now the site of the combined Shirley Boys’ and Avonside Girls’ high schools.
One of the more dramatic changes is on the eastern end of Lichfield St. What was formerly an industrial area is now the Te Kaha stadium, which occupies several former city blocks.
Original image by BeckerFraser used under CC-BY-NC 3.0
The popular area on Oxford Terrace known as The Strip, pictured here in 2006, has continued to be a hospitality hotspot. What was formerly a road for traffic is now pedestrian (and tram) only, bringing more foot traffic to the popular area.
The Westpac Canterbury Centre on Cashel St, built in 1981, was one of the city’s tallest buildings. It was demolished in 2012 using an excavator called ‘Goliath’ imported from Europe. It is now the site of The Crossing complex.
A wide aerial view of the city’s south-west again shows the impressive size of new buildings. To the left is the newly-built Parakiore, and beside it is the Kurawaka: Waipapa primary birthing unit. Together they occupy space once utilised by dozens of buildings.
The Orion Building on the corner of Manchester and Armagh St, opposite what is now the Margaret Mahy Playground. The site is currently a small park owned by the Christchurch City Council.
The former Central Library on the corner of Gloucester St and Oxford Tce. The four-storey building was opened in 1982, but was demolished in 2014 to make way for Te Pae. Its replacement, Tūranga, is one block over.
A view down Colombo St towards Cathedral Square. As in much of the city, large buildings now dominate; in this case, the Court Theatre, Tūranga, and Te Pae.
Original image by Greg O’Beirne, used under CC BY 4.0
Manchester St used to have a line of colourful historic buildings, as seen here on Google street view. The only visible building that remains is the Peter Beaven designed office block in the background, which is now The Muse hotel.
The new Parakiore complex is on the site of the former Canterbury Brewery, which was owned by Lion Nathan. The 17 buildings on the site were demolished progressively over several years.
Looking west down Lichfield St, you can see two heritage buildings that remain: The restored Wellington Woollen Mill building, now a hotel and cocktail bar, and the derelict former Sol Square.
Original image by Cafe Cecil, used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
The majestic ANZ Bank Chambers on the corner of High and Manchester St was built in the early 20th century. It had, at various times, contained a sandwich shop, apartments, corporate offices, and a brothel. It collapsed in the 2011 earthquake; its distinctive copper dome remains unaccounted for.
This brick building on Tuam St once housed the Real Groovy music store. Behind it was Sol Square.
Original image by Cafe Cecil, used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Orari St was like any other in Bexley, as seen here on Google street view. Today, it is a regenerating wetland, only recognisable by the power poles in the same place.