Upper Moores Valley was extensively logged in 1906 to the 1910s. Logs were hauled out of the valley to the ridgeline, and down to Naenae where a sawmill was located.
In the early 20th century, few Wellington residents were aware that bush-felling had been taking place so close to the city, just beyond Lower Hutt. It was commonly believed that the last of the millable forest had long since been cleared, leaving only isolated, inaccessible trees of poor quality. However, Messrs. Strand Bros. of Lower Hutt discovered that rugged, forested terrain near the city still contained some of the finest timber, comparable to that found in the most remote parts of the North Island. This area was located in the upper reaches of Moores Valley in Wainuiomata.
Location of the mill
Located about four miles from Lower Hutt Railway Station, the Nainai mill was situated at the base of an 800-foot-high saddle. Timber was hauled up and down this steep grade by steel cables, with monthly production exceeding 100,000 feet of timber. Tramlines extended deep into the bush, reaching areas where trees were felled.
Marketable timber
The forest, covering 1,400 to 1,500 acres, proved to be denser and richer in marketable timber than the Strand brothers had initially anticipated. The main species being milled included rimu, white pine, birch, rātā, and mataī. The brothers faced scepticism when they proposed building a line up a nearly vertical hill to access the timber. Many had deemed the task impossible, but they persevered, extracting massive logs weighing up to four tons and measuring four to five feet in diameter.
Timber usage
Timber from this once-overlooked forest reached the Hutt Valley by evening, transformed into boards ready for use. The majority of the timber served Petone and the Upper and Lower Hutt areas, though some white pine was sent to Wellington. Over twenty men and nearly as many horses were employed in the bush and at the Nainai and Whiteman’s Valley mills, which together produced 180,000 feet of timber monthly. As the timber was cleared, grass was sown for grazing, with cattle already feeding in areas that had recently been deforested.
This operation, though challenging and hazardous, represented a profitable enterprise, balancing physical labour with keen business acumen. Despite the challenging terrain, the Strand brothers proved that valuable timber could still be harvested close to Wellington.
The Lost Forest
The Strand Brothers logged old-growth forest at the head of Moores Valley, as well as forests in the Hutt Valley, and Whitemans Valley. They were astonished by the abundance of high-quality timber in Moores Valley, which had been overlooked by other loggers. The valley’s forest was said to rival that of the more remote areas of the North Island, with species like rimu, white pine, birch, rātā, and mataī thriving there.
Imagine if the Strand Brothers had focused solely on their other locations, leaving Wainuiomata with an untouched reserve of ancient forest on the hillside and valley floor below. In such a scenario, this area might have evolved into a significant scenic reserve. However, it’s equally possible that the land could have been sold and cleared by individual landowners, leading to deforestation at a later time.
Regardless of what might have been, the tramway and logging operations in Moores Valley remain a fascinating chapter in Wainuiomata’s history. Fortunately, Wainuiomata still retains pockets of old-growth forest, particularly around the water catchment area and up the hills towards the Remutaka Range.
Aerial photo showing the tramway
Location of the Tramway in Moores Valley
The location where the Strand Brothers tramway at the Naenae end of the track is difficult to locate, but you can access the tramway track while on the Rata Street Loop Walk. It becomes visible at the top of the loop, running along the hillside before descending. Around the midpoint of the top section, you’ll notice the tramway chute intersecting above and below the loop track.
If you wish to start the tramway track in Moores Valley, the most obvious marker or direction to point the location out is a bus stop sign that for some odd reason sticks out of the ground in this isolated area. While that sign may not always be there, it is near a pond located on a flat area of grass and also near the Pylon Track, just before it crosses Wainuiomata Stream. So what is the rationale for identifying this as the location?
The tramway line can be seen on a few aerial images taken from 1939 to 1974. See the gallery below. This provides the exact route. The problem is mapping that to Google Earth and the terrain today.- On the ground in upper Moores Valley, there is a cut channel or chute in the landscape which agrees with the location of the tramway as seen in these old aerials. The Moores Valley terminus is located next to the convergence of three streams running down the hillside. Once you pass through this chute, you arrive at this flat grassy area.
- The three streams in question can be seen in these old aerials, thus mapping the approximate location of the tramway-chute near the terminus as the convergence of the streams are located next to the tramway-chute.
- One of these old aerials shows these streams and the freshly cut pylon track, which still exists today. The pylon track adds another layer of markers as this track is still there.
On the ground in Moores Valley, the pylon track curves around this flat area containing the pond and bus stop sign. The track then crosses the converged stream where this stream passes through a small pipe under the track and feeds into the Wainuiomata Stream. In the 1974 image, the pylon track has a bulldozed circle in this grass flat area where the pond is today and you can see the stream going under the track. Then comparing the 1957 aerial image that shows the tramway in Moores Valley, and comparing it to the 1974 image, you can overlay it quite easily in your mind where the tramway is in relation to the pylon track.
The bus stop / pond area is flat and out in the open just outside the forest today. Surrounding land is steep and forested. The Wainuiomata Stream is also here. So the flat area is the most logical place where a tramway terminus would be located to avoid the three feeder streams and Wainuiomata Stream. It also avoids a steep bank that the pylon track climbs around. This flat area would also be ideal for parking diggers and trucks when constructing the pylon track, which appears to be the case in the 1974 image, as you can see a wide area suitable for parking and turning vehicles.
Is this a photo of the tramway in Moores Valley?
This photo is incorrectly labelled as Campbells in Karapoti circa 1908, taken around 20 years before Campbell’s Incline was constructed. Could this photo then be taken from the Wainuiomata side of the Naenae to Wainuiomata tramway? Let’s investigate.
A 1907 newspaper article says:
“Over twenty men and nearly as many horses are kept constantly
employed in the bush, and at the Nainai’ mill and Whiteman’s Valley
mill, which, by the way, turns ‘ out 80,000 feet of timber monthly..
Telephones connect mill, hauling engine, and the log-hauling camp.”
There was a telephone at the log-hauling camp in Moores Valley, and the photo shows a telephone line. The photo also matches the topography of the Moores Valley side of the hill where the tramway was situated.
Both the Moores Valley side of the tramway and the photo have the following landscape features in common:
- The photo shows a natural low area (gulley floor) where a creek likely flows just south and following the tramway track. This matches the landscape in Moores Valley where the tramway is located.
- In the photo, you can see another low point (gulley) to the north that comes in at an angle where a creek likely flows. This matches the area too.
- The photo shows a natural spur near the bottom of the tramway track to the north. This matches Moores Valley as this is where the track is cut to pass through a spur near the bottom of the hill.
- Just after the spur in the photo is a building and there is a flat area of land covered in pine now in the equivalent location in Moores Valley. It seems sufficiently elevated there from a stream nearby. No evidence of a building has been found in that location yet. An old aerial photo in 1941 shows this area was once covered in grass which is logical if a building once stood there.
- Opposite the building, you can see another structure in the photo. In Moores Valley, the equivalent area is reasonably flat, but slightly more elevated agreeing with the photo.
- The news article uses the term log-hauling camp and there is a nice grassy field at the terminus of the old tramway in Moores Valley. Grass fields are often how people picture a camp.
Considering all the similarities, it’s seems quite feasible that this photo depicts the Wainuiomata end of the Naenae tramway. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have anything to add or correct.
