A Day’s Excursion
Wellington to Wainuiomata: Spring Blossoms and Concrete Dams – Work at Solomon’s Knob
The journey from Wellington to the Wainuiomata reservoir currently offers more than its usual allure for nature enthusiasts, particularly for those with a poetic disposition who can savour the green and yellow hues of the landscape. For those who also appreciate the marks of progress and activity in the Wainuiomata region, there is even more to enjoy. Yesterday’s trip to the expansive reservoir unfolded under ideal conditions: a bright sun accompanied by a gentle breeze, illuminating the entire valley from Upper Hutt to Petone and from the nearby harbour beach to Wellington in a blaze of glinting sunshine.
From the steep track that scales the dividing range, the Lower Hutt and Petone Valley create a magnificent view, with the yellow glow of early spring painting the green landscape. Gear Island, a delta at the Hutt River’s mouth, is encircled by a ribbon of gleaming silver, while near the base of the large hill, the Waiwetu, a narrower, clearer stream, runs a straighter course to the easternmost part of the harbour. Nestled between these are settlers’ homes, lush paddocks enclosed by gorse hedges in full bloom, and here and there a ploughman’s team moving slowly up and down.
Points of Interest
There are several points of interest along the way. The Hutt Main Road, once the muddiest and most vexing highway south of Taihape, is now in fine winter condition—a testament to the foresight of the civic and government authorities who established a board of control. This transformed the former sludge channel into the fine thoroughfare it is today. Along the harbour front near Petone, the road conditions remain good. However, the Hutt Park railway line continues to deteriorate from lack of use, despite its potential to connect eager city workers to unsettled lands.
A short distance beyond the railway terminus lies Gear Island, where a pipe bridge carries the city water main from Wainui. Near this spot, a new pipe and traffic bridge is under construction, jointly funded by several local bodies. Many months were spent in negotiations before construction began, but yesterday, a pair of concrete walls stood on either side of the river, flanked by a few piles. A donkey engine had been driving one of the piles with a “monkey” but faced issues, with the crew struggling to resolve them. The observer noted, “The strain” must be like a goods train, making walking appear the quicker option—and so he did.
The long, winding track up the hill was in good condition, although the other side, shaded in the Wainui Valley, presented poorer drainage and higher rainfall, leading to rougher roads. Heavy traffic from the big construction work at Wainuiomata has further stressed the road, exposing its weaknesses in parts. The narrow track up the waterworks valley remains challenging but was being repaired yesterday, and the upcoming stable road surfaces are much anticipated with the end of winter.
At “Navvy-Town”
A mile into the valley, after passing a large receiving house where city teams unload, one follows a tramline along a winding path, arriving at a settlement known as “Navvy-town.” Here, 60 to 70 men, employed by the contracting firm of Martin, Hurrell, and Snaddon, work on the significant project at Solomon’s Knob. Some of the “tents” here have wooden sides and ends, and several substantial huts are scattered among them, a far cry from the canvas tents and flour-sack “flies” of the outback camps a few decades ago. One encouraging sight was a navvy diligently polishing his boots during his lunch hour—a minor yet symbolic indication of the camp’s progressive spirit.
Wainui is Wet
Next to the sandflies, the most consistent feature in Wainuiomata is the rain. A young worker asserted there hadn’t been three consecutive fine days in the last four months. To back this up, the City Council’s custodian recorded 26 rainy days in July alone. These conditions have slowed progress on the big dam at Solomon’s Knob, though the team has still made headway and hopes to complete the project within the year.
The Works’ Current Position
In addition to previously mentioned tasks, many other projects are underway. Tram rails stretch two miles from the receiving shed up to Solomon’s Knob, while a line of 18-inch steel pipes now runs from the Knob to beyond the old reservoir’s mouth. These pipes, currently carrying muddied water from the works, will ultimately transport fresh water from the new dam to the city as part of Wellington’s duplicated main.
At Solomon’s Knob itself, major excavations have reshaped the landscape, with a 300-foot-long and 65-foot-wide cavity now ready for the great dam. Two-thirds of the concrete foundations are already in place, with more work expected to follow soon despite a recent mechanical setback involving a broken crankshaft.
A Large Dam in the Making
The dam, spanning 540 feet, will reach depths between 28 and 30 feet with varying widths. The foundation, reaching down to bedrock, ranges from 5 feet 7 inches to 8 feet in width, and the tower-house, which will control water flow, is nearly complete. An aerial “flying fox” wire, equipped with a two-ton gravel hopper, accelerates the work, allowing tasks that would once take a week to be completed in a day. All concrete work is reinforced with steel rods, and both the foreman and clerk of works boast that the dam could hold up the water and the Tower of Babel together.
Additional Notes
The steel pipes for the new main were made in New Zealand, in Auckland by Nephau Fergusson, with additional spiral pipes manufactured in Wanganui. This company has delivered pipes for large projects in the US, often producing them near the project sites. Sixty-five workers are engaged in this contract, including tradesmen. Machinery at the Knob is housed in a large galvanised shed, with separate structures for carpentry and blacksmithing. Although good navvies have been hard to come by, the contractors are currently well-staffed, and the plant used in this contract is estimated to be worth between £3000 and £4000. The “flying fox,” carrying up to two tons of gravel, operates at 300 feet per minute.
The City Council’s clerk of works, Mr Hardy, and the contractors’ foreman, Mr Thomas, bring experience from similar projects, having both worked on the Karori dam construction.
