Cantabrians are hoping the end is in sight for a major post quake build, as contractors work around Covid-19 construction delays.
An artist's rendition of the completed Metro Sports Facility. Photo: Supplied / Otakaro
One of Ōtautahi's main post-quake anchor projects, Parakiore, or the Metro Sports Facility, is expected to be one of the best in New Zealand.
For the Swimming Canterbury West Coast club, the country's largest aquatic centre can't open soon enough.
"The hopes and dreams that are held for that facility, both by swimming Canterbury West Coast and by the city council itself, if those come to fruition, it's going to be absolutely amazing," administrator Debbie Rahurahu said.
"It will make a huge impact on the whole community, in terms of people wanting to swim and give it a go."
The centre will include a 10 lane competition swimming pool. Photo: Supplied / Otakaro
The central city lot, stretching over more than 30,000 square metres, will have everything sporty residents could want: a 50m, 10 lane competition swimming pool, a separate diving pool, five hydroslides, an aquatic leisure area, nine indoor courts, fitness spaces and seating for up to 2500 people.
Nigel Cox, the council's head of recreation and sport, said it would jump-start the region's sporting competitions.
"Local competition, regional competition, national and international competition will all be able to go ahead again," he said.
"I think, just in terms of the size of the facility, it's massive, but it's going to be the best in New Zealand, if not Australasia."
Christchurch's QEII facility, and its 50m competition pool, was built for the 1974 Commonwealth Games but damaged beyond repair in the 2011 earthquakes.
Parakiore's been plagued with delays: originally expected to be completed in 2016, a $75m budget blowout saw a deal with the preferred contractor axed by the government.
The $301m project is now managed by Crown rebuild company Ōtākaro Limited.
How the construction of the facility looked two years ago in September 2020. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Chief executive John Bridgman said they were on track to open in early 2023 - but Covid has seen them hit a few snags.
"For example, the pool's made in Italy, the hydroslides are out of Australia, the heating system is out of Australia and those take specialist resources to put together and install on the site, and so border controls are quite an issue."
He said it was like a jigsaw puzzle, booking in overseas specialists, nabbing them an MIQ spot and matching up the flights - while dealing with delays from local lockdowns.
"You rejig the programme on site to suit all those, then suddenly a flight gets cancelled, so then the person can't make the MIQ slot and then it knocks on to the site, as then you have to go through and re-plan and rejig it.
"So, it becomes quite a moving jigsaw puzzle to fit all these people into the project."
Rahurahu said the lack of adequate facilities has meant the club's had to hold competitions in Dunedin or Wellington - at considerable cost.
"They're looking for to fund five nights of accommodation, plus transportation for a large team to get down there, which generally involves the bus," she said.
"And if it's not a bus, parents are having to take their own vehicles down and find accommodation for themselves for that period of time.
"We're also sending down all of our technical officials and parent volunteer helpers and things like that. So, it's a huge logistical performance once a year, at everybody's personal cost really."
But she said the last lap is hopefully within sight.
"If you build it, they will come. They will get national meets here, which means that we will get some of the fastest athletes in the country racing here.
"If we get an international meet here we will get some international athletes competing. And there's nothing that draws people into a sport like being able to see people they admire doing a fantastic job of it."
Cox said it will be huge for the city's sporting culture.
"I had the privilege of growing up with QEII and just the memories and the history that people have of their experiences with the old QEII, but Parakiore is going to be the same.
"It's going to be a part of people as they grow up, whether they're visiting with school, having fun, or sporting success."