New book Through a Pipeline looks at Whanganui’s water supply 1873-2023

Historian Bryan Barkla hands his book Through a Pipeline to Dave Rudolph, senior engineering officer for Whanganui District Council.

Bryan Barkla has just completed his fourth and final book, Through a Pipeline, about Whanganui’s water supply from 1873-2023, having written two books on Whanganui Fire Brigade jubilees and a family tree.

It has been 30 years in the making.

Through a Pipeline chronicles the first pipe into Virginia Lake right through to the last of the Kai Iwi bores this year, all the reservoirs, and the history of Bastia Hill Tower. It covers the drilling of the bores, how they used water from a dam and the building of a number of tunnels that were never used.

Of note is the spiral steel pipe that was manufactured using rivets, at a factory where Mega Mitre 10 is now. It was the only one in New Zealand.

Barkla started when writing the Whanganui Fire Brigade’s 125th jubilee book. At the Alexander Library, while going through newspaper microfiche, he came across an injunction taken out by the Hair family against Wanganui council over the use of water out of Virginia Lake.

“It intrigued me, so I made a note of it and went back to it after the fire brigade book was completed,” said Barkla. “The story grew and highlighted the belief that the lake was bought for £500. That never happened.

“The council took the water out of the lake by putting in a pipe from the road reserve, without putting a foot on the Hairs’ land. Then, Jane Hair, who owned the lake and land, took an injunction out and stopped them from using it.

“At that point, Westmere Lake was taken on board and piped to the city. It was subsequently used to top up Virginia Lake.

“When Jane Hair died, the council took the lake and land under the Public Works Act but still didn’t pay compensation for anything.

“Jane Hair’s executors took out a High Court injunction. The case was heard, and the council was ordered to pay £10,000, but it was appealed and the council had to pay £3000. In the 1880s, that was a lot of money.

“Council took out a loan to settle the debt around the time that the Waitotara Road Board asked the council to pay £900 rates. The town clerk informed the board that land taken under the Public Works Act for water supply, can’t be rated.

“Virginia Lake continued to be used during extreme water shortages for many years after and was only disconnected from the city mains during the 1990s,” he said.

There are 10 copies available at Works Infrastructure in Whanganui for $60 per copy. A limited run of 50 copies has been printed.