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Story: Volcanic Plateau region

Italian tunnellers, Tongariro

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Italian tunnellers, Tongariro

Italy’s mountainous terrain fostered expertise in tunnelling for roads, railways and dams. Italian tunnellers were employed to work on the Tongariro power project from 1967. The project included three lengthy tunnels and an underground power station.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Volcanic Plateau region – Geothermal and hydroelectric power, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/15181/italian-tunnellers-tongariro (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.