After 7 long years, the much awaited Christchurch City Library was finally completed and was declared open on 12th October 2018. This completely new building in the city centre is situated next to the Cathedral Square and is the most innovative library in the whole of Southern Hemisphere. On its opening day, the new library attracted a crowd of more than 2000 visitors.
The new Christchurch City Library was aptly named Turanga and is a 5-storey building. Its exterior design is modernistic and its interior design is one full of uniqueness. Inside the building, one can find e-interactive zone with high-tech facilities equipped with big touch-screens, 3-D printing section, and e-recreation area with virtual reality game facility. All of these facilities are gladly welcomed and enjoyed by people of all ages, young and old!
On top of all the latest facilities, Turanga has boasted of a collection of 180,000 books. Visitors can spend their time in various comfortable recreation areas ploughing through the books. By far, the most popular part of the library is the ground floor of the building because at this floor, there is a café and a children’s recreation area equipped with 3D games that bring endless joy to the children. Together with the colourful new-technology display area, the ground floor has indeed become the brightest spot of the entire building!
The original Christchurch City Library was closed down after the 2011 earthquake. In its place, temporary libraries were set up at various corners of the City. With its opening, Turanga has now become a popular place for the public to visit during holidays and is an important spiritual fortress for the people of Christchurch!
