Magazines

Kaiwarra Powder Magazines

77 Kaiwharawhara Road, Ngaio, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015

Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015

Cityview GIS 2013
Cityview GIS 2013 
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  • Constructed

    1879 - 1880

  • Architect(s)

    Charles Gordon O'Neill

  • Builder(s)

    Frank Oakes

  • The Kaiwharawhara Magazines are the ruined remains of a pair of 19th Century military/civilian buildings. They are of particular note for their stone-masonry construction that utilised local stone, a construction typology that is rare in Wellington. The buildings are also one of the few extant remains of the work of architect Charles O’Neil. 

    The ruins are associated with the construction of military defences that were the result of the ‘Russian Scare’ of the late nineteenth century.  They were in use as Wellington’s depot for the civil and military bulk storage of dynamite, gunpowder and ignition devices from 1880 to 1920. 

    The buildings were built in this remote setting in 1880 and have been a feature of Ngaio Gorge for over 130 years.  They contribute to the sense of place and continuity of Kaiwharawhara Road and of Trelissick Park. 


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  • close History

    • The remains of two buildings once used to store gunpowder and ammunition are among a small group of buildings below the Ngaio Gorge Road. They are stone structures, built in 1880, intended to house explosive material well away from Wellington. The isolated site on the banks of the Kaiwharawhara Stream was ideal for this purpose.

      For the first years of Wellington’s existence gunpowder was carted through the streets to the magazine on Mount Cook. In 1879 plans were drawn up for alternative storage buildings at Kaiwharawhara. Gunpowder magazines were a common feature of New Zealand settlements in the 19th century, as railway and port developments used a great deal of gunpowder in their operations. Within a few years, however, these magazines took on a military function when an invasion by the Russians was thought to be imminent. This period saw the development of many coastal defences. Facilities for the storage of explosive material some distance from the forts themselves were required so that in the event of enemy attack, or an accidental explosion, the risk of conflagration was reduced.

      The Kaiwharawhara magazines supplied Fort Buckley, built in 1885-1886 on a nearby ridge-top overlooking the harbour. Powder and shot was landed at the jetty at the mouth of the Kaiwharawhara Stream and taken from there to the magazines. The buildings were the work of a Scottish architect and engineer, Charles O’Neil, who designed powder magazines in Glasgow and later in Mount Eden, Auckland. They were constructed by building contractor, Frank Oakes, who also built the auxiliary facilities such as the keeper’s house, coach house and stables at an estimated cost of £2600.

      The buildings were originally built in local stone and the complex comprised of two magazines and a smaller ‘receiving-house’ that has since been demolished. The magazines were single storey and rectangular in plan, and measured some 25 x 8 metres. They were built in random rubble stone in two skins, with the cavity between was filled with ‘no-fines’ concrete. The openings and corners were framed with quoin blocks which may have been a rendered detail or made from a pre-cast concrete block; if this is so it was an early example of this building technology.

      A pitched roof once ran along the long dimension of each of the buildings and the gable ends each had a central door with a small window above facing west to the Kaiwharawhara Stream. The roofs were originally covered in slates, and later replaced with corrugated iron. The roofs were designed to be lightweight so that ‘if an explosion occurs [they]… may be at once blown off.’ The roof covering was laid over sarking on purlins, and supported by a row of king-post trusses. Inside, the stone walls were once lined with tongue and groove boarding.

      The isolated site was prone to flooding. In 1890 the keeper’s cottage was washed away and three years later the road above it suffered a similar fate. The damp condition in the narrow valley also made it difficult to keep gunpowder dry especially since it was hygroscopic - meaning it tended to soak up moisture from the air. In spite of these difficulties extensions were proposed because a shortage of space had led to unsafe practices such as storing ammunition, dynamite, gunpowder and ignition devices altogether in one building. A brick building was considered in 1897 but eventually two corrugated iron sheds were built instead, to save money.

      The quartet of magazines was withdrawn from service in 1921 and, since then, they have been used for various purposes. During the 1920s the Atlantic Union Oil Company stored benzene in the buildings. In the 1940s part of the property was bought by the Wellington City Council, the remainder was acquired by the Council in c.1993.

      The buildings were altered in c.1999 as part of a WCC restoration project and many of the newer buildings were demolished. By 2000 the site was occupied by one near-complete magazine and the ruin of the second magazine of which only one long wall survived. By this time the buildings were considered to be notable as the only extant work of its designer Charles O’Neil, and one of only two substantial stone buildings known in Wellington. Later that year, the surviving magazine was partly destroyed by fire when a stolen security van was parked inside the building and then set alight.

      Today only parts of the external walls of both magazines survive, and these have both been somewhat reduced in height. The magazines are now managed as partial ruins by the Wellington City Council, and form part of Trelissick Park.


    • Modifications close
      • unknown
      • Original permit missing
      • 1947
      • Roof and end walls (00056:330:B25728)
      • 2000
      • Fire damage and removal of roof. External walls reduced in height.
    • Occupation History close
      • 1920
      • Atlantic Union Oil Company
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      Of the two identical buildings that originally made up the Kaiwharawhara Magazine only the ruins remain. The remaining fabric includes the concrete foundations and parts of the original random rubble block walls built from local stone.

    • Materials close

      Stone

    • Setting close

      The former powder magazines are located on the northern banks of the Kaiwharawhara stream in Trelissick Park, Ngaio Gorge. The surrounding area is a bush covered gully with no immediate neighbouring structures. The former magazines are reached on foot by an access route which branches off from the southern side of Kaiwharawhara road. The magazines are located between the site of the old Kaiwharawhara jetty and the physical remains of Fort Buckley, which was built on the hilltop south of the river mouth and the magazine.

  • close Cultural Value

    The Kaiwharawhara Magazines are the ruined remains of a pair of 19th Century military/civilian buildings. They are of particular note for their stone-masonry construction that utilised local stone, a construction typology that is rare in Wellington. The buildings are also one of the few extant remains of the work of architect Charles O’Neil.

    The ruins are associated with the construction of military defences that were the result of the ‘Russian Scare’ of the late nineteenth century. They were in use as Wellington’s depot for the civil and military bulk storage of dynamite, gunpowder and ignition devices from 1880 to 1920.

    The buildings were built in this remote setting in 1880 and have been a feature of Ngaio Gorge for over 130 years. They contribute to the sense of place and continuity of Kaiwharawhara Road and of Trelissick Park.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        The Kaiwharawhara Magazines are the ruined remains of a pair of 19th Century military/civilian buildings. They are of particular note for their stone-masonry construction that utilised local stone, a construction typology that is rare in Wellington. They are one of the few extant remains of the work of architect Charles O’Neil.

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        The ruins are a landmark in the otherwise bush covered grounds of Trelissick Park.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        The ruins are associated with the construction of military defences that were the result of the ‘Russian Scare’ of the late nineteenth century. They were in use as Wellington’s depot for the civil and military bulk storage of dynamite, gunpowder and ignition devices from 1880 to 1920.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        Pre 1900 building and likely site of Māori food gathering activity associated by the Kaiwharawhara stream.

      • Educational

        Does the item have educational value for what it can demonstrate about aspects of the past?

        The buildings have educational and technical value for their stonemasonry construction, which is extremely rare in Wellington, and for particular design features that related to the safe storage of explosives.

      • Technological

        Does the item have technological value for its innovative or important construction methods or use of materials?

        The buildings have educational and technical value for their stonemasonry construction, which is extremely rare in Wellington, and for particular design features that related to the safe storage of explosives.

    • Social Value close

      • Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The buildings were built in this remote setting in 1880 and have been a feature of Ngaio Gorge for over 130 years. They contribute to the sense of place and continuity of Kaiwharawhara Road and of Trelissick Park.

      • Sentiment Connection

        Is the item a focus of community sentiment and connection?

        The building will have value to historians with an interest in Wellington’s military history.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        The ruined buildings retain much of the original stone-masonry wall structure.

      • Local Regional National International

        Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

        The structure has historical significance as an early military powder magazine and for its association with the development of military defences that occurred in response to the threat of foreign invasion in the late nineteenth century

      • Rare

        Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

        The buildings are a rare example of stone-masonry in local stone. They are thought to be the only remaining examples of work by architect Charles O’Neil.

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      21/ 163

    • Legal Description

      Pt Sec2 Harbour District, City of

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      2/ 7215

    • Archaeological Site

      Māori site of significance Pre-1900 building

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Outside Earthquake Prone Policy

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 10/24/2017 11:06:39 PM