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As the rugged inland of Taranaki was surveyed and opened up for Pakeha settlement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, roadmakers were often confronted with steep ridges which required long and tortuous detours.
The answer, in many cases, was a short tunnel through the soft, easily-excavated Late Tertiary papa mudstones. A few of these tunnels, particularly those on major routes, have subsequently been enlarged, often by excavating the tunnel floor, to allow access by increasingly large commercial vehicles.
Many of those on lesser-used roads have maintained their original elegant Gothic profiles, a shape which helped to stabilise the roof of the excavation.
These small tunnels seem to be a particularly localised feature and few of a similar type are to be found in other areas of New Zealand.
This site records only the road and foot tunnels of the area - as well as a couple actually outside Taranaki. It does not include rail tunnels or those associated with hydro-electric schemes.
Taranaki Tunnels
- Ahititi/Okau (SHW 40 Ahititi)
- Aukopae (Off SHW 43 Tokirima)
- Grayling's Cattle Tunnel (Tarata Saddle)
- Huinga (Raupuha Road)
- Kiore (Matau) (Mangaoapa Road)
- Kiwi Road
- Makahu (Strathmore) (Brewer Road)
- Moki Road (Uruti)
- Moki/Tahora (SHW 43, Ohura Road)
- Mt Messenger (SHW 3)
- Tangahoe (Tangahoe Valley Road)
- Tarata/Otaraoa Rd (Otaraoa Road)
- Te Horo Stock Tunnel (Beach access, White Cliffs)
- Uruti Road (Kaka Road or Tangitu)
- Whangamomona Road #1
- Whangamomona Road #2
- Water Drives
- Awakino Gorge (SHW 3, Waikato)
- Waikawau (Beach access, Waikato)
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Aukopae Tunnel - West Portal
Site 24 – Stratford- Taumarunui Heritage Trail. (The site is within the old Taranaki Province.)
Excavation of the Aukopae tunnel was begun just prior to World War I. It was designed to eliminate a steep and difficult section of road over the ridge between the Ohura and Whanganui River watersheds.
Because of the war and hard papa strata it was not completed until about 1923.
The size of vehicles which were able to
Whangamomona Road Tunnel #2 - Southern Portal
There are two tunnels on a spur near the Arnold Stream on the Whangamomona Road - a four-wheel drive/quad vehicle access only down the Whanga River to Aotuhia.
The road and bridges are unmaintained by the District Council
The Whangamomona Road Tunnel #2 is a few hundred metres from the # 1 tunnel near the Arnold Stream. It is about 20 metres in length
It is unusual for Taranaki road
Whangamomona Road Tunnel #1 - Northern Portal
There are two tunnels on a spur near the Arnold Stream on the Whangamomona Road - a four-wheel drive/quad vehicle access only down the Whanga River to Aotuhia.
The road and bridges are unmaintained by the District Council
ALWAYS CHECK LOCAL INFORMATION FOR ACCESSABILITY
(See location map in Documents below)
Tunnel # 1 is about 6 kilometres from Whangamomona. It is about 40 metres long and has a typical Gothic arch profile.
Sometimes known locally as the Taniwha Tunnel (after Ruataniwha Point) this was a stock tunnel providing an access to and from the beach at the northern end of the Parininihi/White Cliffs.
The Te Horo tunnel was begun by the Taranaki Provincial Council in 1859 but not finished until 1889 after John Rigby of the Armed Constabulary was drowned in 1883 while taking some horses around Te Ruataniwha ('Rigby's Point') just to the north. After the road over Mt Messenger was completed, the tunnel continued to be used until
Not really in Taranaki but ..... we have to go through it to get north!
The tunnel is cut through the 25 million-year-old Oligocene limestones of the Te Kuiti Group.
In 2011 the desirability of removing the tunnel itself was again raised by the Taranaki transport industry but met with some vocal opposition. Eventually 400 mm was shaved off the sides to make it a little easier for large trucks pass through.
The Awakino Valley road and tunnel was opened in 1923-24. It was welcomed
