The contract for this structure was let in 1887, and it was completed in December 1889. This Viaduct was the second ever in New Zealand to be built in iron.
The Waiteti Viaduct contract was the first involvement of Anderson Limited (later J & A Anderson Ltd) of Christchurch in major construction work, and it was their first major work in the North Island. They later built the Manganui-a-te-Ao and Mangaturuturu bridges and the Makatote Viaduct on the North Island Main Trunk railway.
By 1912 the railway traffic had increased to such a degree that the viaduct had to be strengthened. A plan was formed to change the span arrangement by erecting a new concrete pier at each end, half way along the first and last span, allowing new plate girders of half the length of the original to be erected, and the original lattice girders to be moved along and strengthen the two middle spans.
The strengthening project commenced in 1914, but World War 1 stopped all supply of steel, and the job could not recommence until 1926, when it was completed without significant interruption to the rail traffic. The outcome was a viaduct with double the original strength, which has provided continuous service to today.
Check the historic photo on this cache page for a view of the viaduct in its original form when it was four lattice spans, compare that with the 6 spans of the current structure.
The gate to the reserve is locked 6pm to 6am now (and seems to remain closed all day sometimes), however it is just a vehicle stop bar, with easy roadside parking so you can walk along the road to the viaduct. The gate is within 200m of the cache so will not stop your hunt.
Note that this cache was relocated in August 2025 as the box went missing twice, after quietly remaining for over 9 years.
Enjoy your search for the cache, make sure you look up and appreciate this over 125-year-old engineering marvel . The listed waypoint and the hint have been updated to match this change. You do not need to cross any fences or enter farming property to locate this cache.
There is easy parking close by, do keep well clear of the road - especially on summer’s days when the locals head for the nearby Mangaokewa Reserve for a swim. You are well away from rail traffic, above your head.
There are toilets and picnic facilities just along the road, for a good travelling break.
Free Hint: Radionut50 never shoves something in the end of an Armco rail and calls it a geocache.
Logging Recommendations
This cache, (like most of Radionut50’s hides) is NOT meant to be hard to find – so logs saying ‘easy find’ are pretty meaningless. The reason for this hide is to introduce you to this piece of our country’s great history , so logs commenting on your experience are very welcome.