Photographic prints and image files of the Central Plateau, New Zealand

​Central Plateau, North Island, New Zealand. This gallery includes images from National Park, Raurimu, Waikune Prison and Tokannu.

​Raurimu Village. Raurimu Railway Spiral.

The Raurimu Spiral is a single-track railway spiral, starting with a horseshoe curve, overcoming a 139 m height difference, in the central North Island of New Zealand. It has been called an 'engineering masterpiece', and the Institute of Professional Engineers (NZ) has designated the spiral as a significant engineering heritage site. During the construction of the central section of the North Island Main Trunk railway a major obstacle was faced - how to cross the steep slopes between the North Island Volcanic Plateau to the east and the valleys and gorges of the Whanganui River to the west.  The problem was solved in 1898 by R. W. Holmes, Public Works Department engineer. He proposed a line that looped back upon itself and then spiralled around with the aid of tunnels and bridges, rising at a gradient of 1 in 52. Though costly and labour intensive, the scheme was still cheaper than the previous plan which required 9 viaducts down the Piopiotea. Probably the most remarkable feature is that, even today, there is no place to view the complete line. By all accounts, Holmes visualised the layout in his imagination. Source, web (edited).

​Waikune Prison, Central Plateau.

​Waikune Prison held around 100 minimum-security inmates. Inmates worked in nearby forestry areas, did track maintenance for the Department of Conservation, cleared ski-field roads and even cleaned the laundry for Tongariro’s Grand Chateau Hotel. In the mid-1980s the prison required a large amount of capital investment to upgrade its buildings and infrastructure. The government of the time decided to close the facility. Inmates were moved to other sites around the country and the prison officially closed in 1986. Source, web. (edited). Since these images were taken in 2012 the prison has been demolished. MPCV Sep 2018.

Oio Road, Otamangakau Forest, State Highway 47, Lake Rotoaira.

​Owhango

Tokannu Thermal Pools. Tokannu Wharf, Lake Taupo.

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THE CENTRAL PLATEAU