Te Kaha review: Christchurch’s new stadium delivers for its city

Source: Radio New Zealand

Opinion – Friday night marked the start of a new era for Christchurch.

A long 15 years after the city lost its sporting home, the doors of Te Kaha were opened and the Crusaders entered a new chapter.

Does the $683 million venue get the pass mark?

Ellis Park, Twickenham, the Melbourne Cricket Ground – I’ve been blessed to watch sport at some iconic stadiums around the world.

How does New Zealand’s newest indoor venue stack up?

Access

A perk of a media pass is obviously skipping the queues to get in, but speaking to punters, there was an overall sense of ease about getting into the ground, with those I spoke to waiting no more than 10 minutes.

Security checks were carried out, but didn’t cause too much delay, with several entrances for fans. I enjoyed one of the smoothest exits I’ve experienced, straight out of the lift and through a door, which opened right out to the front of the stadium.

Buses provided transport for those further afield, but the location makes it an easy walk back to central city accommodation.

Te Kaha is a uniquely easy stadium to circumnavigate, with no barriers. It takes a little under 10 minutes to walk right around.

Flow

Some hiccups here. Ignoring the long hike for some to get to the highest seats in the house, things often felt disorientating trying to get between food stalls, lounges and the stands.

Many expressed frustration at the confusing journey among the three, some even arguing with security guards about where they could and couldn’t go.

There were a few navigation issues, as locals got used to the new layout. Some long lines of people waited to use the lifts to get to the lounges, while the stadium helpers were put to good use by punters looking for their seats, some on the opposite side of the stadium.

However, once finding it, moving around each location was a breeze.

Food and drink

To the important stuff. Though a niggly trip from the lounges or top level, there was a smorgasbord of food options, although these weren’t dollar menus.

Some of the more eye-popping prices included $10 for hot chips, $12 hot dogs and $12 beers, but a full meal of fish and chips for $16.50 seemed good bang for buck.

Other offerings included pies, sushi, pizza, burgers and Korean chicken.

Service was efficient, with my wait for a hot dog and chips less than 60 seconds. The only hitch was my $12 gourmet hot dog was in fact cold.

The press box was well looked after with a selection of sandwiches and some hot wedges delivered at half-time.

Purely for journalistic purposes, I also opted for a cheeky half-time bacon buttie, also for $12, accompanied by a $7 Powerade. The combo was magic and the slightly longer line for the buttie well justified.

I was reluctantly granted entry to the Ōtautahi Lounge, where the catering was on another level. Unfortunately, I was unable to partake in the selection of fine meats and cheeses, while the outdoor fridges were stacked to the brim with drinks.

Atmosphere

Arriving about 5pm, it was a slow build, but when it kicked off, Te Kaha was pumping.

Unfortunately, windows don’t open in the press box, so much of the atmosphere was lost, although when outside, the acoustics are something special. The lighting was also incredibly impressive, with the ceiling providing a cornucopia of colour.

The fans didn’t disappoint with their renditions of Sweet Caroline and Why Does Love Do This To Me, but when Christchurch’s own Scribe took centrestage, they really found their voice.

The Crusaders’ entrance was also spinetingling, as a guard of honour of club legends formed and a powerful kapa haka performance welcomed them onto the turf.

While the iconic horse tradition was no more, the roar whenever a fan caught a stray ball in the stands carried over from Addington.

Spectacle

A dry deck in Christchurch – the dream is now real.

We saw the impact of a roof on the Highlanders, who endured decades of miserable Dunedin conditions at Carisbrook, and now the Crusaders reap the benefits of playing under cover.

They didn’t take long to showcase just how Te Kaha could impact the action onfield. In a hard and fast match, both sides chanced their arm, were eager to counter and produced some silky offloads.

Plenty of players were seen testing their bombs against the ceiling in the warm-ups, barely getting halfway to it and no-one came close during the match.

There was even some old fashion biff to get the fans on their feet.

Observations

The toilets were immaculate, but that may not be true come tomorrow.

General stadium seats were spacious and comfy, with the lounge passes including padded outdoor seats.

Staff were all friendly and helpful.

Some murals are desperately needed to cover a lot of large blank white walls.

The big screens were stunning, with not a moment missed.

Shout out to the elevator assistant who spent the entire night taking people up and down the lift, only seeing the score, when someone asked to go to level four.

Rating

As an Eden Park regular, this was a very refreshing experience and maybe the debate around the national stadium has some merit.

While it will never have the history of Eden Park, Te Kaha made a compelling case for what a future national stadium could look like and is more than capable of carving out a very special legacy of its own.

I grade Te Kaha’s first night a very solid B+.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand