Taiora QEII Recreation and Sport Centre

Once the shining star of New Zealand sport and recreation facilities, the new, downsized Taiora QEII was opened in 2018, after a long wait since the earthquakes, a fair dash of conflict, and the addition of it's curious new first name.

Originally built in 1973, on 49 hectares, QEII Park encompassed an impressive array of sports facilities including a themed leisure pool. The main pools, diving towers and athletic track were originally built for the 1974 Commonwealth Games but were subsequently augmented and modernised. Architect Peter Beaven and civil engineer Bill Lovell-Smith were the original designers.

A golden age of athletics, water polo, swimming excellence and downright fun on the hydroslides followed, with the community making the most of the massive facility for three happy decades. Some excitement surrounded a potential bid to host a Commonwealth Games in the 2000s, in a joint venture with Auckland, but Prime Minister John Key put the handbrake on before it went ahead.

Then the pool suddenly and completely failed and closed because of the earthquakes. As did the athletics stadium. Both were demolished in 2012.

After much discussion, the entire park was reformulated, and a portion of the land sliced off for the new Avonside Girls High School and Shirley Boys High School, both refugees from nearby suburbs after the quakes and neither interested in a merger or name change.

Christchurch seemed to have lost it's appetite for building Olympic sized anything, and just wanted somewhere to swim, so the new pool is with only 25 metres, but includes attractive community facilities like a fitness centre, waterslides and a learn to swim area. It opened in 2018, under it's new and highly original title, which was granted by Iwi, a very first use of the words Tai (general coastal place) and Ora (well/healthy) as a single word. Entirely different from the former complex, the Taiora building was designed by Warren and Mahoney.

The current chapter in the long and sometimes sad story, would be that the growing population centre of North Shore City has sprinted past the old Canterbury entry, with the AUT Millenium growing at a riproaring rate, somewhat equal to the slow down of QEII.

NZPlaces would appreciate picture of Taiora QEII.