Wellington's Catholic community is celebrating the resurrection of the St Mary of the Angels Church - in time for an Easter service this morning.
The church and popular symphony orchestra venue has been closed for almost four years after being damaged in the 2013 Seddon earthquakes.
The $9.5 million repair work has been funded by various charities, including the Hugh Green Charitable Trust, the Nikau Foundation and the Society of Mary, and the wider Wellington community.
Individuals who contributed include former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, businessman Sir John Todd and former Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand.
There was no visible damage to the church, but it had been deemed earthquake prone and met few modern standards for earthquake safety.
"The saddest thing I had to do was call 20 couples who planned to get married here over the next 18 months [and tell them] that they wouldn't be able to use the church," said Father Barry Scannell at the time.
It survived the November 2016 quake without sustaining further damage.
Newshub.
