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Damaged caused as Christchurch is hit by lightning

Thursday, 28 May 2026 12:16

A lightning strike on Thursday morning hit Christchurch on The Grove causing damage to its spire, lightning conductor and water pipes.

Around 8am, the lightning strike reportedly hit the church spire and blew the lightning conductor off the side of the building.

The conductor then punctured a hole in the water pipes above the toilet corridor, outside the café entrance, causing flooding.

As a result of the damage, Christchurch Café has closed today, Thursday 28 May.

A statement on the church Facebook Thursday afternoon said:

"Well that was loud! the strike blew the lightning rod off the side of the spire, arced into the wiring via the outside light above the Riddings Road entrance and blasted a large hole in the central heating pipe above the toilets corridor, causing water to pour through the ceiling!

"It looks like our wifi routers are melted, as is the office pc and photocopier. So it looks like it’ll be a day or two to before we get back under way

"We’re very thankful no one was injured, especially as some of us had been looking at the storm from that same doorway 5 minutes earlier! We’d appreciate your patience as we get things going again, we’ll keep you posted on progress and we look forward to welcoming you back."

Residents commented about the storm on Facebook and Instagram saying 'It was a real cracker, the whole living room lite up for a few seconds', 'It certainly made me jump' and 'It was one of the brightest things I've ever seen.'

The church is expected to issue an update when it can.

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