Welcome to WELLYWOOD, a series of caches designed to enlighten you and show you around some of the wonderful locations in 'the coolest little capital of the world'.
You will be required to do some 'pre-work' to complete and find some of these caches, while others will require you to do some exploring 'out in the field', and some will require a combination of both. Most caches can be found in the greater Wellington area, although there may be a few that are further afield. We hope you enjoy the series.
Shelly Bay
Shelly Bay, on the Miramar Peninsula, has historically been mainly associated with the New Zealand Defence Force who owned the land on Shelly Bay for 124 years until 2009.
Shelly Bay was originally settled by Te Āti Awa before European arrival, and Maru-Kai-Kuru was the name of the village sited at the northern end of the bay.
In 1839 the bay was sold to the New Zealand Company along with most of Wellington. In 1907 the land was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, and in 1946 it was transferred again to the Royal New Zealand Air Force to accommodate up to 300 staff. The New Zealand Defence Force owned land on Shelly Bay until 1995 when the then Air Force Base was closed.
On 14 February 2009 the land was handed over to Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
Pre World War 2
A large earthquake that hit Wellington in 1855 lifted the land out of the sea creating the shelf along which Wellington's urban motorway skirts the western edge of the harbour. The same 'quake created beaches at the various bays around the foothills of Mount Crawford on Wellington's Miramar Peninsula.
Going back to 1885 Shelly Bay was selected as suitable for relocating the Submarine Mining Depot which was at the time located in Thorndon and Mahanga Bay. However it wasn't until the following year that the Depot was relocated with haste due to a "Russian Scare" (At the time the Russians were the enemy of the British Empire).
The minefield for which this depot was never actually laid however all shore based facilities were completed. Fort Balance on the other side of the Peninsula had a control room for remotely detonating mines within the field. The responsibilities and depot were transferred to the Navy in 1907.
In 1914 some munitions stores were built and the small tramway connecting the depot with its wharf was extended to service them. The following year saw the Public Works Dept. build the Government Magazine there, which they operated. However due to the fact that the tram trolleys of the PWD were of a different gauge to the Defence tram trolleys and the PWD replacing the track third rail was added in 1916 so both PWD and Defence tram trolleys could be used.
World War 2 period
Early in 1942 trees were cleared from the site and excavations dug for the magazines. In April the contract was let for the construction work for the armament depot situated on the hillside behind Shelly Bay. This involved the construction of ten magazine buildings, laboratory, office, garage and also a house for an ordnance officer. These buildings had a combined floor area of 20,845 square feet and were occupied by the end of 1942.
Meanwhile in May of 1942 reclamation work started in Shelly Bay and the adjacent northward bay for the creation of flat land space for the naval base HMNZS Cook itself. This was done by excavating adjacent hillsides and using it as fill for reclamation work. By the end of 1942 reclamation work had progressed far enough that construction of the base could start. The buildings were constructed as flat land and manpower became available.
The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Act, 1963 was passed and the institute built to maintain the tradition of Whakairo. The NZMACI is responsible for the restoration and building of over 40 marae around New Zealand.
While the reclamation work was occurring, dredging of the bay in preparation for the wharves was taking place. The wharves themselves were started on October of 1942. By the time HMNZS Cook was complete it had facilities and quarters for personnel as well as workshops, shipwrights shop, and a small hospital. The buildings had a combined floor space of 69,050 square feet. While the wharf and breastwork totalled 37,200 square feet and had 1,200 feet of bearthage. Slipways and workshops were provided with "sideslipping" ways off the main slipway. These were for servicing the "Fairmile" Launches.
In April of 1946 HMNZS Cook was transferred over to the RNZAF and became known as the Shelly Bay Air Force Base.
Post World War 2
Since then Shelly Bay has been occupied by the RNZAF. In recent years it has been used primarily as accommodation for air staff based in Wellington as well as having a catering unit and responsibility for the military air freight terminal at Wellington Airport.
By early 1979 Shelly Bay provided administration for 300 personnel while accommodating 100 men, and in the early 1980's about 150 people were based at Shelly Bay (including 20 civilians). One of the few major changes to the buildings was the construction of the Combined Mess building in 1985 at the north end of the base.
In in an article published by the Evening Post on the 7th February 1994, the Air Force said it had no plans to move out of Shelly Bay. Yet the following year, on the 30th June 1995, the RNZAF lowered its ensign for the last time at Shelly Bay when it was officially decommissioned. By the 29th July only 52 RNZAF personnel remained.
The Wellington Civic Trust held a public seminar entitled "Miramar Headland: Prospects and Possibilities on the 24th September 1995. The Shelly Bay Air Force base was part of the area discussed. There was a strong consensus that the headland should be retained as open space for passive recreational use. However with regards with Shelly Bay it was generally accepted that any use of Shelly Bay should be compatible with the use of the rest of the headland.
The "public" road that runs through the base is not actually the legal road - which follows the original coastline and actually passes through a number of the buildings.
Walking around the buildings it's not hard to imagine that you've gone back in time as all the buildings apart from the Combined Mess are World War 2 vintage (or earlier). The only thing that ruins this illusion is the absence of uniformed military personnel (and the presence of modern cars).
For "Wellywood" (as the film industry calls Wellington) this would be a valuable asset for filming if the buildings can be retained with their exteriors preserved. A military base is not a place where one can usually film and so retaining the appearance of a decommissioned site would be of value to film crews looking to film at such a site.
However that has changed. The Taranaki Whanui (comprising of four Iwi) and the Government of New Zealand signed a Deed of settlement for the Port Nicholson Block Claim at Pipitea Marae on the 19th August 2008. This involved land at various locations around Wellington and the Hutt Valley. Shelly Bay was among them and was one of several locations that they could "buy back" as part of the settlement.
On Saturday the 14th of February 2009 during a ceremony held at the Shelly bay Air Force base The Taranaki Whanui became the new owners and custodians of the site. At the handover of Shelly Bay, Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust Chairman Ngatata Love said the new owners "will work with all relevant communities so that, over time, everyone in the greater Wellington region will benefit from this settlement". The Wellington community made it clear that the land should have mixed use, including a potential mix of housing, shopping and commercial, while retaining large tracts to stay green.
In mid 2010 one wing of the WW2 barracks was demolished due to an unsafe roof. The area it occupied was grassed over. Many of the remaining buildings are occupied by various groups and even a cafe.
Cache can be found at 41 ab.cde 174 fg.hij
a = Day of date the land was handed over to Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika - first digit
b = Year the land was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy - last digit
c = Year of the construction of the Combined Mess building - third digit
d = Year reclamation work started in Shelly Bay - last digit
e = Month only 52 RNZAF personnel remained
f = Year some munitions stores were built - last digit
g = Year the land was handed over to Taranaki Whanui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika - last digit
h = Year HMNZS Cook was transferred over to the RNZAF and became known as the Shelly Bay Air Force Base - third digit less first digit.
i = Number of jeeps that fell off the end of the wharf on 1 April
j = Year one wing of the WW2 barracks was demolished due to an unsafe roof - third digit