Kau Point Battery facts for kids

The Kau Point Battery is an old fort built in the 1890s in Wellington, New Zealand. It's located on the eastern side of Point Halswell. This spot is special because it's near where an ancient Māori village called Kau-whakaara-waru used to be.

What is Kau Point Battery?

The Kau Point Battery was a special kind of fort built to protect Wellington's inner harbour. It was part of a bigger defence system. This system included other forts like Halswell Battery, Fort Kelburne, and Fort Ballance. Their main job was to stop enemy ships from entering the harbour.

Building the Fort

Construction of the Kau Point Battery finished in 1891. It was designed with a single, round gun-pit. This is where the main gun would sit. Right behind it, there was an underground room called a magazine. This magazine was used to store ammunition safely.

The Big Gun

The main weapon at Kau Point Battery was a huge eight-inch disappearing gun. This type of gun was very clever! It could pop up to fire, then quickly drop back down out of sight. This made it harder for enemies to hit. There were plans to add smaller guns, like two six-pounder guns, but these were never installed.

How They Aimed

To help the gunners aim accurately, there was a special place called a Battery Command Post (BCP). This post was located on a hill behind the battery. It had a device called a Direction Range Finder. This tool helped them figure out how far away enemy ships were and where to aim the big gun.

Life at the Battery

Soldiers manned the Kau Point Battery for many years, until 1925. After that, it was no longer needed as an active defence. It was then changed into a magazine, which means it was used just for storing things. By the 1950s, New Zealand decided it didn't need these old coast defences anymore, and the battery was left empty.