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Kōrero: Bridges and tunnels

Building the Lyttelton tunnel

Image
Building the Lyttelton tunnel

Construction workers stand in front of the Lyttelton portal of the rail tunnel in early 1867. Building the 2.6-kilometre tunnel with hand tools and challenging underground conditions was a difficult task. It took over six years of work before the tunnel was formally opened in December 1867.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: MNZ-1683

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Jock Phillips, Bridges and tunnels – Rail tunnels, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/23651/building-the-lyttelton-tunnel (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Jock Phillips, i tāngia i te 10 March 2010, updated 1 August 2024.