Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand, Nov 2011: Fort Ballance was a coastal artillery battery constructed in the mid 1880’s to defend Wellington from a naval attack.
In the aftermath of the Crimean War- there was a real fear (the “Russian Scare”) that New Zealand might come under a naval attack from Russia, or another hostile power…
Coastal defence forts were built to protect New Zealand’s four main harbours in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
I’ve visited this site numerous times over the last few years (including today)- and always find something I’ve never noticed before…
Today the site is still largely intact, though heavilly grafittied- it’s Labyrinthian like maze of buildings and tunnels are always intriguing. As of the 1st November 2011, Fort Ballance is due to be part of the “Watts Peninsula Reserve”.
How this translates into a physical rejuvination is unclear- but hopefully it will restore Fort Ballance and the other historic defence sites on the Miramar Peninsula to their former glory…
For more information about this place check out the exellent “Capital Defence” website.
ferguscunningham.com 