What it is
Tūranga opened on 12 October 2018 on the north-eastern corner of Cathedral Square, at Gloucester and Colombo Streets. It replaced the former central library, which closed on the day of the February 2011 earthquake. The building was designed by the New Zealand firm Architectus with the Danish practice Schmidt Hammer Lassen, and its golden facade fins recall the light on the Port Hills.
The name was gifted by Ngāi Tūāhuriri and refers to Whitireia, the Māori name for the square. Inside are five floors of collections, a 7-metre interactive Discovery Wall, a 200-seat community arena, spaces for children and teenagers, and a floor dedicated to local and family history research.
Getting there by bus
Manchester St Super Stop (stop 53074), about 220 m away, is served by routes 1, 5, 7, 8, 27, 29, 44, 86, 91, 92 and 95, and Hereford St near Colombo St (stop 53163), at a similar distance, by route 8 (Airport/Lyttelton).
Gloucester St near Latimer Square (stop 30688), around 4 minutes' walk east, has routes 5 and 7, and the Bus Interchange (Lichfield St) (stop 53214), about 6 minutes south, is served by routes 3, 8 and 80.
