Skip to main content

Story: Government and agriculture

Building the Ōtira tunnel

Image
Building the Ōtira tunnel

These men are working on the the Ōtira tunnel about 1913. It was built to complete the Midland rail line, linking Buller and the West Coast with the port of Lyttelton in Canterbury. Construction began in 1907, but was not completed until 1923, after the government had increased investment in rail.

Using this item

Christchurch City Libraries

Reference: IMG0001

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Tony Nightingale, Government and agriculture – Government support and incentives, 1918–1938, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18065/building-the-otira-tunnel (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Tony Nightingale, published 1 March 2009.