Stony Batter, Nature reserve at eastern Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Stony Batter is a nature reserve on the eastern side of Waiheke Island featuring three bush blocks, concrete structures, and a network of underground passages carved beneath rocky outcrops. The reserve encompasses roughly 50 acres and maintains all the physical evidence of its former use.
The site was developed during World War II as part of Auckland's coastal defense system with two naval guns positioned to counter potential threats at sea. The facility was built with considerable effort and portions of it have endured since the war's conclusion.
The site represents a chapter in New Zealand's wartime engineering efforts and remains a symbol of the nation's defense capabilities during a critical period. Visitors experience this legacy through the preserved structures and tunnels that tell the story of resourcefulness during conflict.
The underground tours are guided experiences available from December through May, typically scheduled on weekends. Getting there takes about 40 minutes from Matiatia Wharf by vehicle, and visitors should wear sturdy shoes and bring flashlights for the tunnel exploration.
The most striking feature is roughly one kilometer of underground tunnels entirely hand-quarried through volcanic rock by workers of that era. These passages connect different parts of the installation and demonstrate the incredible manual effort that went into building the site.
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