Palmer Head Fortress

Construction to Deactivation, 1933-1960

An increase in defences for Wellington was approved locally in 1933, and Palmer Head was chosen as the site for the new battery. This was to be the first counter-bombardment battery to be built in Wellington. Work started at Palmer Head in January 1935 and the guns were received in early 1936. Palmer Head now became the center piece  for Wellington Harbour. On the outbreak of World War Two, this battery was able to operate, but not at full efficiency as facilities were still being planned.

The accommodation problem was at first solved with the building of temporary huts. These were later replaced with more substantial buildings. Forward observation posts and wireless telephone rooms were established at Baring Head, Beacon Hill and Sinclair Head, complete with accommodation for the detachments manning them. Radar was added to the installation itself in 1941.

In August 1941 it was decided to construct underground plotting and wireless rooms. This work involved the construction of an access road, an access tunnel, two plotting rooms, an engine room and two wireless rooms. Two entrances were constructed, one to the north, the other the west. A site for a third gun was surveyed in April 1942, and approval was given in September. The work was completed in early 1943. For this emplacement an underground magazine, shell hoist, 105ft of access tunnel and a war shelter was constructed. Reinforced concrete overhead covers were provided for the three guns.

Palmer Head was decommissioned permanently in 1957, in accordance with all the other batteries in the country. The guns of the battery were still in place as late as June 1960, but were probably scrapped not too soon after.

Demolition, 1961-1970

The first suggestions of anything that would involve widespread demolition came about in 1961, a scant year after the guns had been finally removed. The proposal was for a massive state housing subdivision that would run from Tarakena Bay right up and around to join with Ahuriri Street. The land itself was never actually set apart for housing purposes, although subdivision plans of the area were drawn up. 

At some point between 1962-1963 emplacements #2 and #3 were partially demolished, leaving only the overhead covers at the rear. 

Between 1968 and 1969 a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) was established for Wellington Airport in the area occupied by the Battery Observation Post (BOP) over the plotting room tunnels. The land was leveled, demolishing most of the battery structures in the area, although the miniature range building was retained to house equipment for the VOR. At this point the Works Department gave up on the idea on subdividing the land for housing as a large section of the proposed subdivision could not go ahead due to the VOR facility.

Then in 1970 demolition was looked at for entirely different reasons. “Various pill boxes and buildings exist between the above (Palmer Head and Moa Point). They are exposed to the public eye and are notorious as places for children and undesirables to congregate. Complete demolition and removal is recommended.”

Palmer Head was dealt with in two phases with a total estimate coming to $10,000. The first phase concerned the searchlight emplacements on the foreshore at the southern tip of Breaker Bay, as well as those facilities that remained in the valley in Tarakena Bay. Demolition was carried out in July 1970. The three searchlight emplacements at the base of the hill were leveled to their floors, with the rubble buried on site. The emplacement on Gibraltar Rock was leveled and rubble carted off site.

Palmer Head Fortress was next. The plan was for gun emplacement #1 to be demolished to the emplacement base level. Emplacements #2 and #3 were to be demolished to the existing ground level. The rubble from this was to be dumped in the gully between the two positions. The roof of the magazine for emplacement #3 was uncovered during the work, and it still there today. It is impossible to gain entrance to the magazine (which was damaged during the demolition work) without some excavation.

Although it was not stated in the demolition plan, nor in any of the correspondence, earthworks were also carried out on the hill behind emplacements #2 and #3. This was possibly an easy way for them to cover what was left of the emplacements, as well as providing soil for covering the rubble in the gully. Other demolition work included the foundations and other concrete work scattered about the fortress area, as well as the entrances to the underground plotting rooms, which were covered over.

The Moa Point Radar station, the most obvious survivor, was also considered for demolition. At this time however one of the buildings there was being used by the CAA and NAC. The demolition plan notes that the other two structures are “not included for demolition in this stage”. In the end it was left as it is, although the single building in use was later abandoned.

In terms of demolition equipment, heavy machinery was used in preference to explosives. In the case of Palmer Head, only twice was blasting carried out. First in a structural part of the old Power-house (in the valley in Tarakena Bay), and secondly in one of the gun emplacements below ground level. These were carried out in August 1970.

The site is presently reserve land and is publicly accessible, excluding the area used by the Civil Aviation Authority. The underground plotting rooms are gated and usually locked.