The Waiwhetu Tunnel was constructed in the 1880s to transport water from Wainuiomata to Wellington.
The Waiwhetu Tunnel (once known as the long tunnel) was completed on 14th February 1883. It housed a 750mm pipe, serving as a vital component of the region’s early water supply infrastructure. William Frank Oakes was the contractor responsible for building this brick-lined tunnel, which played a crucial role in Wellington’s early water system, channeling water from the Wainuiomata Valley to the city. Oakes’s tender of £1,982 13s 8d was accepted by the Wellington City Council, and construction began in July 1881. Nearly three years of continuous work were required to complete the level 1.1-kilometre (3,609-foot) tunnel, which cuts through the Eastern Hutt Range from Waiu Street in Wainuiomata to an exit above Gracefield on the western slope.
In the 1950s, telephone cables were put through the tunnel. By the 1970s, the original pipe required replacement due to age and capacity constraints. However, the tunnel’s dimensions were insufficient to accommodate the proposed 1,100mm replacement pipe. Consequently, the partially completed Wainuiomata Tunnel, located maybe 30 metres south of the Waiwhetu Tunnel, was selected for this purpose. The Waiwhetu Tunnel was subsequently decommissioned and sealed.
Today, the Waiwhetu Tunnel entrance remains visible along the Beeline Mountain Bike Track near Waiu Street in Wainuiomata, though it is now bricked up and inaccessible. The tunnel exit is concealed within the bush on the Gracefield side of the Eastern Hutt Range.
