By: david castle2nd Apr 2017 4:58PMIn my opinion "Cruickshank's Hill" is a heritage site and should be preserved. In 1857 a water tunnel was built to take water to what was then called the the Fernground Saw Mill. In 1875 a rail tunnel was built. The rail tunnel was at a higher level than the water tunnel and crossed it near the western end of the rail tunnel. The water tunnel was replaced with a 3 ft brick culvert where the railway crossed it.

A weir in the Mungaroa River (as it was then called) directed water to the water tunnel. In 1921 it was proposed to use the water tunnel to supply a power station 200ft below on the floor of the Hutt Valley.

In 1881 the Railways Department built a dam in the water race (western side) to supply water to Upper Hutt Station via a pipe along the railway formation.

Near the western portal of the rail tunnel a bridge carried a tramway over the railway.

Both the rail tunnel and the water tunnel are extant, although the latter is silted up. It is possible that the dam in the water race still exists - I have a report of it being seen in the 1980s. It is also possible that parts of the tramway formation may exist above the rail tunnel portals provided they have not been destroyed by logging. Open sections of the water race are extant.

The entrance to the water tunnel was probably blocked when the Mangaroa Stream weir was removed and I have not located the exact location. However maps of the period narrow down the search area.

The railway formation is visible in the background so that would date the photo post 1874.