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Water power
Water power was critical for early developments, and continued to play a role till the major companies were gone.
There were six major dams built at Karangahake. They were all wooden, and most had open wooden flume water races.
Three on the Waitawheta River:- Karangahake/Talisman, Railey/Crown, Crown. Three on the Ohinemuri:- Woodstock, Crown, Woodstock/Talisman.
There was also one or more on the small Hauraki Stream in Scotchman’s Gully. The current remains are a small concrete structure.
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1876 |
Karangahake Company erect dam and wooden water race on Waitawheta River. The first in Karangahake. |
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1885 |
Woodstock Company dam and wooden water race for the Furnace late 1885. First and lowest on the Ohinemuri River. |
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1886 |
Railey’s Battery dam and wooden water race late 1886. This is the second dam on the Waitawheta River. |
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1892 |
Crown Company Ohinemuri dam and water race 1892. The water race will be a wooden flume from a dam just below the future eastern portal of the railway tunnel. |
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1894 |
Woodstock Battery water race 1894. A shortened and refurbished version of the Furnace water race. Same dam. |
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1895 |
Woodstock’s open wooden flume replaced by 1m diameter steel pipe. |
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1896 |
Talisman Company dam and water race 1896. This is a reuse of the original Karangahake battery dam and headworks, the flume being replaced by a 4 ft [1.2m] diameter pipe. Crown Company Waitawheta dam and water race 1896. This long wooden flume will power the large air compressor at the river level entrance. |
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1900 |
Woodstock water race extension and new dam 1900. On the Ohinemuri River, upstream of the future eastern portal of the railway tunnel. |
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1904 |
Talisman buy Woodstock for £7000, and take over the Woodstock dam. |