The Anglican Church may still be debating the future of ChristChurch Cathedral, but it's not afraid to restore historic buildings.
On Sunday it marked the reopening of St Bartholomew's, the oldest church in Canterbury, after a million-dollar restoration.
The 162-year-old church was packed on Sunday as young and old crammed in for the grand reopening.
It's a day that's been seven years in the making.
"There's certainly people who I think have been coming for decades, and it's a very special day for them," Anglican Parish of Kaiapoi Vicar Sandy Constable said.
The church was built with native timbers in 1855 but shut its doors after the September 2010 quake.
The $1.2 million repair and restoration kept the original rimu and matai, its timber frame making the work very different to the Anglican cathedral.
Bishop Victoria Matthews of the Anglican Parish of Canterbury said it had stood the test of time because it was wood.
"Wood is a lot more forgiving than stone when an earthquake strikes," she said.
A loving restoration could give the historic building another 160 years of service.
Newshub.
