These are very privileged photos, they are not opened to the public. My friend Ngarimu took us to these gun emplacements and underground bunkers. The British took the land from the Maori people at Bastion Point. The land belongs to his people. His grand dad was the chief and he is a future chief. These structures take us a lot of land and are linked to one another. The Maoris had to "fight" the government to take this land back.
Coastal fortifications were constructed in New Zealand in two main waves. The first wave occurred around 1885 and was a response to fears of an attack by Russia. The second wave occurred during World War II and was due to fears of invasion by the Japanese.
The fortifications were built from British designs adapted to New Zealand conditions. These installations typically included gun emplacements, pill boxes, fire control or observation posts, camouflage strategies, underground bunkers, sometimes with interconnected tunnels, containing magazines, supply and plotting rooms and protected engine rooms supplying power to the gun turrets and searchlights. There were also kitchens, barracks, and officer and NCO quarters.
The Russians never came, and they were left to ruin. These was returned to the Maoris. A famous artist painted the walls, but were not maintained. Young Maori people on weekends hold parties.
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