Fort Bastion

Fort Bastion was built between 1886 and 1889 at Bastion Point. It commanded both the main Rangitoto channel and the secondary Motukorea channel approaches to the inner harbour, and mounted two 6 inch BLHP guns 30 metres apart. It was built to a standard design by Tudor-Boddam which was also used at Fort Takapuna, Fort Kelburne in Wellington and Ocean Beach Battery in Dunedin. In 1889 a 6 pounder Nordenfelt was mounted on each flank; but as only one gun was available both pedestals were emplaced and it was intended that the gun should be unbolted and run by the men to the other pedestal if required.

In 1893 the fort was rebuilt with concrete replacing all the wooden reinforcing; the open passages were roofed and loopholed and the earthworks were reshaped.

In 1899 a searchlight position was built in the cliff side west of the fort. A tunnel connected the searchlight to an engine room and a second tunnel led from there to a small magazine with a rear entrance that led out to the hill.

The fort was hardly ever used and was not linked to the Fire Commanders post on Mount Victoria. It was not manned during World War Oneoss the harbour. By 1924 it was abandoned.

In 1940 the Prime Minister Joseph Savage died in office, and was buried in a public funeral in the magazine of the abandoned fort. The fort was rebuilt as a memorial and the gun pits filled in. Some of the original tunnels remain and were partially excavated in the 2000s due to drainage concerns. Once the drainage work was completed, the tunnels were filled in again.

In 1941 a 12-pounder battery was built with an observation post, with guns coming from Rangitoto Island. Three new searchlight positions were built at the base of the cliff in front of the old fort, and a new twin 6-pounder twin was emplaced at sea level in front of the yacht club building (the former Bastion Rock location which had been quarried away after World War One).

The twin 6-pounder site remained for some years after the war, but was eventually incorporated into the yacht club building, it now forms part of the Commodore's Lounge of the Tamaki Yacht Club. The memorial and 12-pounder battery site is publicly accessible.