Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 21, 1900 A newly constructed lighthouse began operations on Somes Island (now officially known as Matiu/Somes Island) in the northern half of Wellington Harbour on the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island. At the time of this lighthouse’s debut, New Zealand was a British colony; it gained semi-independent status as a dominion of... Continue Reading →
January 25, 2009 The pioneering Northern Gateway Toll Road in the Auckland Region of New Zealand’s North Island was opened to traffic. The route, which encompasses 4.4 miles (seven kilometers) between the town of Orewa and the settlement of Puhoi, is a segment of the Auckland Northern Motorway. This motorway, now measuring 24 miles (38... Continue Reading →
January 14, 2010 On New Zealand’s North Island, a recently completed version of a railway station building in the Auckland suburb of Newmarket was formally opened. The Newmarket railway station had first gone into service in 1873, and it originally consisted of a single island platform that could be accessed only via a ramp or... Continue Reading →
December 30, 1880 The Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge in the Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island was formally dedicated. By that time, the bridge – situated 141 feet (43 meters) above the Kawarau River -- had already been in use for a month. This bridge was named for the river gorge where it is... Continue Reading →
December 28, 1975 After nearly 96 years of being maintained and operated by resident keepers, a lighthouse off the coast of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) became officially unmanned. This lighthouse is located on South Solitary Island, which is about 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) northeast of the city of Coffs Harbour on... Continue Reading →
October 18, 1869 In Australia, a railway station in the town of Bowenfels in the colony (now state) of New South Wales (NSW) was opened. The Bowenfels railway station was built as part of the Main Western Railway (also known as the Main Western Line) in that region of Australia. This station was designed by... Continue Reading →
September 28, 1970 More than four decades after her debut, the steam-powered Australian tugboat named Forceful was officially retired from service. This seagoing vessel had been constructed by the shipbuilding company Alexander Stephen & Sons Limited and launched in Scotland in 1925. Forceful subsequently sailed from the River Clyde in Scotland to her assigned homeport... Continue Reading →
June 29, 1963 Cobham Bridge in the city of Hamilton on New Zealand’s North Island was officially opened. This girder bridge, measuring 470 feet (143.3 meters) in length, carries Cobham Drive over the Waikato River. (Cobham Drive is part of State Highway 1, the longest route in New Zealand’s road network.) Those on hand for... Continue Reading →
June 17, 1935 On the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, a lighthouse in the vicinity of the capital city of Wellington began operations. This concrete structure, situated on a narrow piece of the coastline known as Baring Head (Ōrua-pouanui), had been built to replace a longtime lighthouse at nearby Pencarrow Head as a... Continue Reading →
May 18, 1940 A highway bridge built across the Manning River in the town of Taree in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) made its public debut. This steel truss bridge was officially opened by Alexander Mair, who served as premier of NSW from 1939 to 1941. The structure replaced a steam-driven ferry... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 