The Black Creek Tunnel, also known as Dicks Tunnel, was constructed in the 1880s in Wainuiomata. This brick-lined tunnel was initially developed to support water piping but was abandoned by around 1911. Located behind what is now Bilderbeck Hall and the former Palliser Hotel, the tunnel was filled with gravel and subsequently covered in the early 1970s.
As part of the Wainuiomata water-works project, the City Council received tenders for the construction of the Black Creek Tunnel. The accepted tender was submitted by John Coleman for £283 10s 6d. Today, the precise location of the Black Creek Tunnel is not clearly identified and remains hidden beneath the landscape.
