The National Erebus Memorial in Christchurch will open in December – 47 years after the disaster in Antarctica.
The memorial for the 257 people killed in the Air New Zealand plane crash and their families will be officially opened at Cracroft Reserve in Cashmere on December 13.
Dr Richard Waugh, a long-time advocate for a memorial, said its planning and building had been a “long, tortuous journey”.
Waugh first spearheaded a memorial in January 2016. The Government committed to building one in 2017.
Fifty sites around Auckland were investigated, and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage selected a park in Parnell.
However, after public protests, the ministry decided it was “no longer a suitable or safe site” for the memorial.
The ministry then proposed Cracroft Reserve and a site by the Avon River August last year, which the city council endorsed.
The ministry selected Cracroft Reserve last November, and construction started in June.
Ministry secretary Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae said the site, which has a panoramic view of the Southern Alps, is “a space where both quiet moments or group gatherings can take place”.
“It's tranquil, green and has a beautiful outlook.”
Ministry deputy secretary Glenis Philip-Barbara said: “The unveiling will provide Erebus families with the first opportunity to see the memorial, and the names of their loved ones.”
The Mt Erebus disaster saw 257 people die in New Zealand’s largest loss of life outside of wartime.
Air New Zealand flight 901, a DC10, crashed into Mt Erebus in Antarctica on November 28, killing everyone on board.