Durie Hill Elevator facts for kids
The Durie Hill Elevator is a special public elevator found in Whanganui, a city on the North Island of New Zealand. It connects a street called Anzac Parade, which is next to the Whanganui River, with the suburb of Durie Hill, which is high up on a hill.
This elevator is very important to New Zealand's history. Heritage New Zealand has given it a special Category 1 Historic Place ranking. It's also unique because it's the only public underground elevator in the whole country!
Why Was It Built?
When Durie Hill became part of Wanganui Borough in 1910, getting to the top was tricky. People had to climb a long concrete staircase with 191 steps! The city council knew they needed a better way for people to travel up and down the hill.
They thought about different ideas, like building a cable car. But they decided an elevator going right through the hill would be the best choice. It seemed the easiest, safest, and most affordable way to connect the hilltop homes to the city below.
The idea for the elevator and its tunnel came from John Ball, who was an editor for the Wanganui Chronicle newspaper, and his friend Edward Crow, an engineering teacher. At first, local residents weren't keen on paying for the project. Only a few families living on the hill were interested in helping to fund it.
So, two men, Col. A. E. Wilson and his brother-in-law W. J. Polson, decided to take on the project themselves. They formed a company called the Durie Town Elevator Co. to make the elevator a reality.
How Was It Made?
Construction of the elevator began in 1916 with contractors Maxwell and Mann. The whole structure is quite impressive! It includes a long entrance tunnel, which is 205 meters (about 670 feet) long and 3 meters (about 10 feet) high. This tunnel is technically an adit, meaning it only has one entrance.
After the tunnel, there's a vertical elevator shaft that goes straight up for 65.8 meters (about 216 feet). At the very top, there's a 9.7-meter (about 32-foot) flat-topped tower. All of this was built using 2,500 tons of strong reinforced concrete.
Early on, a landslide briefly covered the entrance, but otherwise, the building process went smoothly. The elevator's powerful 40-horsepower machinery was made in Britain. A company that had already installed 180 elevators across New Zealand put it all together. This elevator was designed to carry 500 passengers every hour, both up and down.
The Durie Hill Elevator officially opened on August 2, 1919. Even though the iron staircase to the tower's roof hadn't arrived yet, people could start using this amazing new way to travel.
How It Works Today
When the elevator first opened, the city council set the prices. It cost a small fee to go up and a bit less to come down. Children paid even less.
The elevator originally got its electricity from the city's tram system. In 1951, after the tram system was removed, a special device was installed. This device changed the city's regular electricity into the right kind of power for the elevator.
The Wanganui City Council took over running the elevator on June 1, 1942, and they still operate it today. The council checks the elevator every month to make sure it's safe. It also closes for one full day each year for a big inspection, and it's closed on Christmas Day. Zena Mabbot, the current operator, has been working there since 1971!
Building the elevator helped create the first modern suburb in New Zealand, called Durie Hill Garden Suburb, in 1920. It was designed by an architect named Samuel Hurst Seager. Having reliable transport to the hilltop was very important before most people owned cars.
Today, the Durie Hill Elevator is not just a way to get around. It's also a popular tourist attraction! From the top, you can see amazing panoramic views. On a clear day, you might even spot both Mount Ruapehu and Mount Taranaki in the distance.
Images for kids
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Entrance at Anzac Parade
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Elevator control room
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Entrance tunnel
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Tower at the top of Durie Hill
