North Head tunnels?

[Hitcher]

I've heard that stairs can do that.

[BIHB@0610]

That could be where my virginity is.

Along with my sanity perhaps

[Hitcher]

Along with my sanity perhaps

In both cases, probably a good reason for the tunnels being sealed.

[BIHB@0610]

I remember exploring these tunnels as a young girl (ok, I was 20). They were freaky. We also "explored" an old 'haunted' house on the edge of the quarry at the end of Lake Road in Takapuna. Broke in through a bathroom window, crept through the most amazing old building, found a ballroom in the middle of it, with statues and sculptures all around the edges of the room - had a bit of a boogie to no music (we weren't stable) then the alarm went off. We had to race back to the toilet, squeeze our beer and burger loving arses through the window, down over a woodpile, and hide in the bushes. The security guard wasn't long - he had a really good look around the grounds - so good that we didn't have the courage to walk back out the gates, we slipped and slid down one side of the quarry and scrambled up the other. Man, it was fun being 20 .....

[Motu]

When the Yanks left they dumped a lot of stuff at sea - stories from ''those that were there'' talk about driving bulldozers of the decks of ships...same with Jeeps and bikes.They went out the back of Mangere when it was in the middle of nowhere and dug mile long trenches and tossed everything in...again,complete motorcycles.My friend remembers lathes still in the protective wrapping.These trenches were uncovered a few years ago when some construction was being done.The was just so much stuff in those stores - right into the '70's you could go into the Army surplus in Hamilton...Valentines,and they would ''sell'' you a parts list.The parts list was all the parts you could buy new to build an Indian - they couldn't sell you a bike,but they could sell you enough parts to build one.I had a parts list,the real deal.Twenty years ago a mate of mine was driving a 6x6 GMC on a construction site - 1974...built brand new from parts out of Silvia Park stores.

As a kid in Mt Wellington our Holy Grail was the mythical ''Ammo Dump''.Lot's of Army stuff in the area at the time,they owned land and there were ''Army houses'' in the neighbourhood.Shells,grenades and helmets were Coin of the Realm at the time....worth a Dinky Toy at least.So we spent a lot of our time on bikes exploring all the old quarries...scaling cliffs and paddling corrugated iron canoes on the stagnant ponds,but never found the Ammo Dump.

[Sam I Am]

So who has a torch and wants to go to the tunnels and find out what's there then ......

ps i am not offering

[xwhatsit]

I was up there around December -- took the girlfriend on the back, rode around the barriers so got right up onto the helicopter pad. Stuff walking that far.

Anyway, we couldn't find anywhere to get in. Just a few gun emplacements, a couple of `rooms', but nowhere to get in. Maybe just looking in the wrong place?

On top, there was a building wot had a video playing on loop. Described the history of the place. Showed a cross-section of all the tunnels, mentioned the rumour about there being shitloads of goodies buried in the middle, but said `there are no records' blah blah. Didn't see any huge caverns with Tiger Moths in the 3D cross-section Found it very funny about the whole Russian thing.

Really quite fascinating. I was also amazed to learn about all the tunnels beneath Albert Park near varsity; apparently they used to drive trucks in there too. However it's all been filled halfway up the tunnels with old bricks. There's a site kicking around somewhere with photos from some uni students who went exploring last decade.

[El Dopa]

I reckon this is where Blofeld is hiding his spaceships an' stuff.

Can't wait to see Sean Connery dogfighting in his autogyro over the Hauraki gulf. I'll climb up Mt Vic for a grandstand view.

[Motu]

Did the original poster put this in the funny pages,or was it sent here by a mod? A lack of respect whoever did it.

[Swoop]

Did the original poster put this in the funny pages,or was it sent here by a mod? A lack of respect whoever did it.

I believe it started right here. The mod's are lazy these days.

[Holy Roller]

The tunnels went from HMNZS Tamaki to North Head to Mt Vic and across to Rangitoto. The rumors of aircraft still in boxes and such were rife when I was in the Navy. The tunnels started beneath the artificers castle at Tamaki where we had a king size pool table. Most of the tunnels that lead off the main one were locked or just bricked off. Never got to get to the end as I was too much of a wuss in the dark, but they went for what seemed like ages. The North Head tunnels just went from gun emplacement to gun emplacement with the interconnecting tunnels back to Tamaki and Mt Vic blocked and bricked off.

So the rumors still are alive, now for someone to do a Discovery Channel doco to try to find out how many of the rumors actually are based in fact. Average Jo Blow will have no show in breaking through the walls on a journey of exploration. if someone is keen to do so give me a call I'll be there.

[Ixion]

Rangitoto ! ? Not heard that bit before. That's a honking long (and deep!) tunnel.

Why did they go to Rangi? No military stuff there that I ever heard of (though I imagine there would have been observers there when things were tense).

[Cajun]

i wouldn't suggust running around NH at night with fully electric bb guns shooting each other in around tunnels, get end up stalked down the hill by people with real guns.

[Badcat]

i grew up in milford (41 now) so north head has always been huge in my life as a boy.
if anyone was going to explore - i'd be keen.

ken

[onearmedbandit]

I'd love to do a mission through there one day. There are bunkers and gun emplacements by Lyttletyon Harbour iirc.