I unearthed three artefacts from the 1880s, then nearly became one myself after being attacked by wasps.
Today, I set out with a friend to explore a section of Wainuiomata that I have been focusing on recently. This is the same general area where I previously discovered the drainage pipe for an earth embankment, likely dating back to the 1880s. Just a few days ago, I took a quick look around to see if the area was worth proper exploration. I found a wide track cut into the bank. Such tracks are there for a reason, so I suspected there might be something worth uncovering at a later date. However, on the day, the track itself was the only notable feature.
Before locating the track, we visited the Earth Bridge Drainage Pipe to discuss the layout of the site. We then headed for the track which I had photographed a few days ago, and upon arrival, my friend stopped to take some photos, while I decided to head up the hillside.
There, I found remnants of an old brick cascade that was once used to direct water down the slope. This was a promising sign. The question, of course, was why build this here? I walked up the cut steps, and when I reached the last one, I noticed it was different, it had a flat concrete wall, partially covered in moss.
Beyond the steps of the cascade, I spotted Maintenance Road in the distance. When I reached the road, I could see a cast iron pipe running underneath. So it seems that water runs down this hillside naturally and is then routed under this road. But why go to the trouble of routing this rain water after that? (Note: Maintenance Road is an old track / firebreak that originally provided access to the raceway and pipeline. Over the years, it was widened to accommodate vehicle traffic and it is still in use today, but is off limits to the public.)
I started making my way back down the hillside to examine the area more thoroughly when my friend suddenly shouted that he had found something. Upon arrival and at first glance, I could see a concrete archway protruding from the ground. I placed my phone inside for some photos and using a torch, I was able to see inside. This was the water race, a 2km tunnel / culvert built under contract by William Frank Oakes in the early 1880s for £15,000. This race once routed the Wellington water supply from the old dam to Coleman’s Tunnel, where it would drop into a well / shaft and feed into a pipe before heading to Wellington.
After photographing the water race , I returned to the brick cascade I found moments earlier and made an interesting connection. The last step of the cascade was actually part of the water race outer wall. This suggested that the cascade and the pipe above were designed to control water flow down the hillside, to protect the buried water race from water erosion.
Hoping to find more, we both scanned the area to see if the water race surfaced again nearby but found nothing except for a large heavy metal ring.
Moving along the hillside and back toward Scour Pipe, we came across another area where water naturally goes down the hillside, and here, I noticed a third artefact. A heavy rectangular slab of concrete was half-buried in the ground. It had a small iron door on top with an embossed eight-sided star with its centre featuring the letters “W W”. This could stand for something like Wainuiomata Waterworks, Wellington Waterworks Water Works, or Wellington Works. Who knows? Outside the embossed star, embossed lines radiated outward.
After that, we headed back towards Scour Pipe to investigate a channel or trench cut along the spur. My plan was to get ahead of my friend so he could take more photos and assess the landscape while I pushed forward, hoping to make a new discoveries before reaching Scour Pipe.
But then, something unexpected happened. I accidentally stepped on a wasp nest and was stung dozens of times. Panicked, I bolted from the area, but the wasps pursued me while I caught up with my friend. In the chaos, I fled, down the bank toward Scour Pipe and the wasps eventually left.
Later, my friend realised I did not have my bag with me and unfortunately, my car keys were inside that bag. Dread set in at the thought of having to return to the scene. Thankfully, my friend spotted the bag further up the hill, away from the nest. I had dropped it when I had to rip off my shirt as the wasps were crawling on my stomach and back.
While it was a painful experience, I soon started noticing some strange symptoms. When I reached my car, a vehicle drove past, and its engine sounded like it was turning off and on repeatedly. Then I realised it was not the car, it was my hearing cutting in and out.
I drove to a medical centre in Wainuiomata and later went to hospital, where the doctor confirmed that I had been stung at least 35 times on my lower left calf muscle alone. There were of course many more stings all over my body: including legs and arms, with less stings under my shirt, but one on my eye, and another on the inside of my lip. I estimate that I had been stung around 100 times, maybe more, but it was difficult to tell. In areas where multiple stings overlapped, my skin became one large inflamed area, making counting the stings impossible. In contrast, areas with fewer stings had distinct, countable marks, but these areas were not really painful.
After some tests and prescribed medication, I am now recuperating from the ordeal.
This experience made me realise a danger of the bush I had never seriously considered before. From now on, I will be far more vigilant, especially near banks and places where nests may exist.
The moral of the story? Life sometimes gives you highs followed by lows. One moment, you’re out exploring, full of excitement and adventure. The next, you’re sprinting for your life, flailing like an inflatable tube man, questioning every decision that led you to this point.
