Location-Botanical Gardens, next to the Dominion Observatory.
Armed-One Seven inch RML
Current Status
When this battery was deactivated, the gun pit was filled in and left. The underground magazine is now used for housing seismological equipment. The out-line of the gunpit is clearly visable. Possibly the best preserved RML gun emplacement in the country. This emplacement is not open to the public.
Fort Buckley
Location-Above the ferry terminal
Armed-Two Sixty-four pounders RML
Current Status
The fort was threatened by a housing subdivision but was purchased by Wellington City as a reserve. There is a sign next to the road that shows the way down to the fort. The gun pits are in reasonable condition. Any damage is due to neglect. As of Feb 2000 the emplacements are very overgrown. This emplacement is accessable to the public.
Fort Kelburne
Location-Above Ngauranga gorge
Armed- Two BL Six-inch disappearing guns.
Current Status
Unfortunately the fort was destroyed in the 1960s to make way for the Ngauranga interchange. Built to the Tudor-Boddam style, a similar fort can be seen in Auckland (Fort Takapuna)
Kau Point
Location-Kau Point
Armed-One BL Eight inch disappearing gun. Gun pit built for QF gun, but unknown if it was installed.
Current Status
This emplacement, while buried, is still intact. The underground rooms are still acessable, even though attempts were made to bury the entrance. Debris litters the tunnels. Some of the walls are damaged. There is another gunpit further up the hillside for a small calibar quickfire gun. This emplacement is accessable, but it is quite a job to get to it, and to get into it.
Point Gordon
Location-Point Gordon
Armed:-
Fort Ballance
Two Seven-inch RML guns, one BL Six inch disappearing gun, two quick fire Nordenfeldt Six-pounders flanking the sides of the fort. This was later upgraded to two BL Six inch disappearing guns and one Seven inch RML.
Fort Gordon
One Eight-inch disappearing gun. One 6-pdr in a separate emplacement (known as Spur Battery).
The Low Battery
Two converted 64-pdr RMLs. Later replaced by two 12-pdrs (in a new emplacement).
Fort Ballance (WW2)
Two 4-inch Mk-VII guns on the old 12-pdr position. One Twin-6pdr on the foreshore. Two 75mm guns mounted near the 4-inch guns?
Current Status
Fort Ballance
The fort instead of being destroyed had housing put next to it; the housing stopped it from suffering from too much graffiti. Over all though the only damage done to the fort was part of one of the defensive walls and a building were destroyed when a house was built in the courtyard. The 2nd six-inch gun pit has been considerably damaged, and is now not really noticeable as a HP gun pit. There is also minor damage around the fort; this can be attributed to general neglect.
Fort Gordon
It appears that the gunpit has been demolished. The magazine etc, are assumed to be intact. Nothing found of 6-pdr emplacement.
Low Battery
64-pdr emplacements are gone, one of the magazines are still there, but has been recently reburied (1997?). 12pdr emplacement still exists, but is buried, the extent of the damage to it is unknown.
Fort Ballance (WW2)
See above for 4-inch bty. The twin-six emplacement is gone. Nothing found of the 75mm guns (emplacement was probably not too substantial).
Strickly speaking these emplacements are not open to the public as its on Defence land.
Point Halswell
Location-Point Halswell
Armed-One BL Eight inch disappearing gun. A 6-pdr was placed above the main emplacement.
Current Status
In the 1920's a merorial to a former premier of NZ was built on top of the emplacement, known as Massy Memorial. The emplacement is still intact, Massy and his wife are interned in the now marble lined gun-pit. The upper level rooms are in amazing condition, the lower level is littered with rubish, but even that is in resonable condition. Pieces of the gun carriage are in the lower rooms. its probably the best preserved disappearing gun emplacement in the country. This emplacement is not accessable to the public. A sheltered stairway that led to the OP and QF gun still remains, although the OP and QF emplacement are both long gone.
Location-Point Dorset
Armed:-
Main Battery
Two 6-inch Mark VII guns
Gap Battery
Four 4-inch Mk-VII guns. Later reduced to two with the transfer of two to Fort Ballance.
Beach Battery
Two 12-pounders
Steeple Rock Battery
Two 12-pounders
Current Status
Main Battery
A victim of clean-up actions, the battery was demolished. But it hard to tell if the magazines or anything else of the battery remains. The BOP for the battery still remains.
Gap Battery
The gun platforms for the 4-inch guns still remain, in various states of decay. So does the B.O.P. for the battery.
Beach Battery
The 12-pounder platforms still remain on the shore, but everything else associated with them is gone. There is broken concrete, and some steps going nowhere up the hill. But nothing else solid remains.
Steeple Rock Battery
Everything is now gone, and its hard to find any indication that an emplacement was ever here.
All remains are open to the public, bar the 4-inch magazine and a B.O.P.
Palmer Head Fortress
Location-Palmer Head
Armed-Three Six-inch Mk XXI guns
Current Status
The tunnel system for the F.P.R. and the B.P.R. is still accessible through the northern entrance. However the western access tunnel is blocked up with rocks and rubble. Part of the marching grounds remains. Some remains have been found of #1 and #3 emplacements. The most tangible visible remains are the Moa Point observation\radar station further along. Roof of #3 magazine is visible, but its hard to gauge the state of the structure. A large portion of parade grounds still exist, as does a large portion of the original battery road. All in all the site is a complete mess, what does remain is in VERY bad order. All except the plotting rooms is available to the public (all thats left that is!).
Fort Opau
Location-On Point Opau sited near Makara on the Makara Walkway
Armed-Two Six-inch Mk-VII guns
Current Status
The gun emplacements are still standing as well as a few concrete observation/radar posts, which are above the gun emplacements. There are also the remains of the 117 man barracks further on behind the gun emplacements. This is all open to the public on the Makara Walkway.
Wrights Hill Fortress
Location-Karori, Wrights hill reserve
Armed-Two 9.2 inch guns.
Current Status
Three gun pits were built at this fort, but only two guns were mounted. Until recently all gun pits were filled in. One has been excavated and another half emptied by the Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society. The maze of tunnels that were built to accommodate the guns are still there, and they are open to the public on certain days. Concrete foundations from the barracks and other buildings as well as several concrete structures are around the area. Open to the public on the four public holidays: Waitangi Day, Queens Birthday, ANZAC Day and
Labour Weekend.
Heavy Anti-Aircraft
Location: Various
Armed: Each battery was armed with four 3.7-inch
Three of the six sites have survived, those at Point Halswell, Pol Hill (Brooklyn), and Somes Island. All three are in reasonably good condition. However, one of the emplacements at Somes has been partly bulldozed. But apart from that Wellington has a good collection of anti-aircraft emplacements. Somes is open to the public, Halswell is acessable, but it is on prison land, and one can visit it at ones own peril. As far as i know Pol Hill is open to the public.
Observation Posts
Location: Various
Armed: None
Apparently all O.Ps in the Wellington Area are still intact, this is largely due to them being sited in rural areas. I can definitely support that for all of them bar Turakurae Head and Cape Terawhiti. The Beacon Hill O.P. is sited on private property, but I believe all of the others are accessible to the public.