Westpac Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westpac Stadium | |
|---|---|
| The Caketin | |
 |
|
| Location | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Global Coordinates | |
| Broke ground | 1998-03-12 |
| Opened | 2000-01-03 |
| Owner | Wellington Regional Stadium Trust |
| Operator | Wellington Regional Stadium Trust |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $130 million NZD |
| Architect | Architecture Warren & Mahoney Ltd, Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture |
| Project Manager | Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd |
| Contracted Construction Company | Fletcher Construction Ltd |
| Former names | |
| WestpacTrust Stadium | |
| Tenants | |
| Hurricanes (Super 14) Wellington Rugby Football Union (Air New Zealand Cup) Wellington Firebirds (State Shield) Otago University |
|
| Seats | |
| 34,500, 38,000-42,000 with temporary seating | |
| Dimensions | |
| Length (North to South) 235 metres, Width (West to East) 185 metres |
|
- For the cricket venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, see Westpac Park.
Westpac Stadium, previously known as WestpacTrust Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin throughout New Zealand, although the locals refer to it as The Stadium.
Situated close to major transport facilities one kilometre north of the city’s CBD, the stadium is a multi-purpose facility, though used mainly for rugby union and one-day cricket. It is the home of the Wellington Air New Zealand Cup and the Hurricanes Super 14 teams. The stadium has also been used for rugby league. Australian rules football exhibition matches were played in 2000 and 2001.
The stadium was built in 1999 on former railway land and has a capacity of 34,500. It was built to replace Athletic Park, the city’s old rugby stadium, which had fallen into disrepair and was poorly situated for the demands of modern sport, and has since been redeveloped for residential use. The new stadium is one of the best in New Zealand. In 2000, The Westpac Stadium had the honour of hosting the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This was the first time the event was hosted outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.
2006 events at the stadium have included a concert by The Rolling Stones which ended the Australasian leg of their A Bigger Bang World Tour, and World Wrestling Entertainment's first ever New Zealand show, part of the WWE Smackdown! Road to Wrestlemania Tour (March 4th).
[edit] Gallery
 Crowds filling in before a Tri Nations match |
 The Stadium entrance |
 The stadium during a One Day Cricket match in January 2005. |
[edit] See also
- Basin Reserve - Wellington's other international cricket ground
