Fed-up neighbour buys central Christchurch 'eyesore'
Jimmy Royal got so fed up with the vandalised eyesore next door that he bought the building.
Royal is the new owner of Malvern House on Hereford St in central Christchurch. The quake-damaged office building is on the city council’s “Dirty 30” list of sites seen as barriers to the rebuild, and in a location compared by one property owner to a war zone.
Malvern House has sat vacant and deteriorating since the quakes. It has attracted squatters and damage including broken windows, plus the label of the city’s most tagged building.
Its sale could help revitalise the dilapidated strip, where neighbours say their improvement efforts have been thwarted by Malvern House’s condition.
Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️💥❔
What has a head but no brain?
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Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Book Cellar Christmas Opening hours
Merry Christmas from The Book Cellar!
The summer break is the perfect time to relax with a book or two (or three or four…). And, of course, books make excellent gifts. There is still time to come in and find the perfect read for you or someone else.
We are open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week as usual, then our Christmas hours are:
Monday 22nd December, 10am – 3pm
Wednesday 24th December, 10am – 12noon
Friday 26th December (Boxing Day), 10am – 1pm (last day for the year).
We will reopen with our usual hours on Thursday 8th January 2026
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