3 guns were installed a few years before the end of the war due to concerns the Japanese might make it to our shores. History tells the rest of the story. To link the guns tunnels were dug under the hill and lined with concrete, and all manner of contraptions were installed to make it all work. Quite an engineering feat really. You can find out more HERE at the official website.
The major irony is that when the place was dismantled, they sold the metal to the Japanese, the very 'enemy' they were built to defend us against.
So anyway, 4 days a year they open the place up for us to tramp through and have a gander, here are some photos..
The place is a real labyrinth of tunnels and stairways...
The deeper you go the colder you get, condensation was forming with each breath through some of these tunnels. One goes for about 500 meters with little rooms and things running off either side...
Replica of one of the main gun barrells..
This place is so dark when lights arent on, your eyes would never adjust to it. This staircase climbed up to who knows where.
Looking into Gun Emplacement Number 1. This was actually full with earth, so theve done a great job excavating it.
From outside near gun number 3, this is part of the original perimietr fence, you can see a portion of the entrance behind..
And this is why they built it here, strategically they could cover Wgtn, the cook strait and the top of the Marlborough sounds. The gun was big enough to lob a shell into the sounds. The only time it was ever fired, most of the windows within a few km's were broken, they never fired it again.
I know last year they were looking at opening up one of them for an underground transport network....if only 
) getting hold of some plans and going and having a look around...That would be wicked fun!! 
