Kōrero: Hauraki–Coromandel region

Karangahake Gorge road, 1930s

Karangahake Gorge road, 1930s

The rugged Karangahake Gorge was a barrier for vehicles carrying supplies and mining equipment to Waihī, and until the 1890s it was bypassed by another road which was very steep and impassable in wet weather. This was obviously unsatisfactory, so from 1889, over a period of eight years, a level road was constructed through the gorge. The route had to be blasted through solid rock, and the resulting road was restricted to one-way traffic. Finally, during the depression of the 1930s, relief workers widened and sealed the road so that it could be used by two-way traffic. This photograph shows that work in progress.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

New Zealand Herald
Reference: 110804NZHGORGE03.JPG

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Paul Monin, 'Hauraki–Coromandel region - Transport and communications', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/photograph/30492/karangahake-gorge-road-1930s (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Paul Monin, updated 1 Apr 2016