Dicks Tunnel otherwise known as Black Creek 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 (1835 – 1908) for £283 10s 6d. Five proposals were submitted for the construction of this tunnel, and his bid was approved in September 1880. Today, the precise location of the Black Creek Tunnel is not clearly identified as it is buried beneath the landscape.
The exact location of the tunnel is uncertain, though the general area is known. It may have been beside the current green pipe in the same area, or possibly even in the same alignment, as an existing tunnel would have been a convenient route for laying that pipe. Alongside the green pipe are several active manholes set next to the pipe. However, there is also an older manhole located on the opposite side of the green pipe, now partly hidden by regenerating bush. This feature may have been connected to the earlier pipe that passed through Dick’s Tunnel.
