This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Registration Proposal report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. History of the place: Two scares of war between Russia and Britain, in 1878 and again in 1885, prompted British colonial governments to prepare for the possibility of a Russian invasion. In New Zealand, the scares forced the government to acknowledge that they could not rely solely on either British navy or the country's isolation for protection. Following discussions with the British government, a number of Rifle Muzzle Loading (RML) guns were purchased. The guns arrived in the country in 1878 and, with the exception of two used for drill at the Mount Cook Barracks in Wellington, spent the next seven years in storage. In 1880, Colonel Scratchley, who had recently returned from Australia, recommended the construction of a system of coastal defences to protect New Zealand's main ports from a sea-bourne attack. In 1883 Lieutenant-General William Jervois (1821-1897) was appointed governor of New Zealand. An acknowledged expert on coastal defences, Jervois recommended that New Zealand supplement the ordnance acquired in 1878 with modern six-inch and eight-inch guns and minefield defences. Then in 1884, tensions between Britain and Russia began to escalate. Major Henry Cautley was commissioned to design fortifications that would house the R.M.L guns purchased eight years earlier in 1878. The following year a war appeared imminent and New Zealand's lack of preparedness more readily apparent. Rapid action was taken. Arthur Dillon Bell (1856-1943) was promoted to Resident Engineer in Wellington for defence works and harbour fortifications. It became clear that the R.M.L guns were no match for the more modern BL guns with which most contemporary warships were equipped and the Government ordered 13 BL 6-inch and ten BL 8 inch disappearing guns. Meanwhile, batteries were rapidly being constructed to house the outdated R.M.L guns at each of New Zealand's four main ports. In a report to the House of Representatives F. Bell noted: 'At the end of March last it was considered advisable, owing to the threatened outbreak of war with Russia, to place the chief ports of the colony in a state of defence as far as the means of the of the colony admitted, and to commence the construction of the necessary works for the reception of the guns. These works were proceeded with vigorously, and in about three months the whole of the guns available in the colony were mounted, and the necessary magazines, stores, barracks, and enclosing parapets are now in a fair state of completion'. In Wellington, preparations for the defence of the city's inner harbour had commenced in 1884. The imminence of war made it apparent that this work was insufficient, and £15,000 was poured into its defence, allowing the rapid construction of batteries at Point Halswell (Halswell Battery), Gordon Point (Fort Ballance) and Kaiwarra (Fort Buckley). In accordance with Cautley's recommendations, Wellington's primary point of defence was constructed in 1885 on the former site of Te Mahanga Pa and named Fort Ballance after John Ballance, the then Minister of Defence. In the event of war Fort Ballance was to prevent enemy ships entering the inner harbour and provide covering fire for the minefield between Gordon Point and Ward Island. It was to be supported by the battery at nearby Point Halswell. The battery at Kaiwarra was intended to support the position Ngauranga position and protect the inner waters of the harbour. Fort Kaiwarra was the first of the new forts on which work commenced, and it was the first operational fort in Wellington. Constructed on 'Mrs Rhodes' land, (formally acquired for defence purposes on 1 April 1885), it was based on a design conceived of by Major Cautley with the assistance of Arthur Bell to accommodate two gun emplacements in which two of the 64 pr R.M.L guns could be housed. The layout used at Fort Buckley was also used at Fort Resolution in Auckland and the Channel Battery in Dunedin. The site engineer was Mr Connal, of the Public Works Department. The works were overseen by Mr Hayes, the Superintendent of Works and former engineer to the Manawatu Local Authority. The actual labour was carried out by 38 men, including the carpenter. Hurriedly constructed, the primary material used on the two gun emplacements and magazine in 1885 was timber, while the parapets were simply made of earth and sandbagged. According to John Mitchell, 'in this state the work would only be suitable for drill purposes'. The guns were transported to the site via a tramway especially laid for the purpose and were mounted on timber drums. The guns themselves were those formerly used for drill purposes at the Mount Cook Barracks. When completed the battery at Kaiwarra featured two gun emplacements connected underground to a timber magazine where the ammunition was stored via a timber passageway. A barracks was constructed above ground and protected by an earth and timber palisade. Commanded by Sergeant Major-Smith, the battery was manned by 10 members of the Armed Constabulary, who slept in the barracks, sharing it with the 10 men who were working on the unfinished Fort Kelburne. From late 1885 onwards, work at the Fort focussed on upgrading and rebuilding the temporary wooden structures hurriedly constructed early in 1885. The gun pits were concreted and the timber drums on which the guns were mounted were eventually replaced. In May 1886, possibly to mark the upgrade of the site, Fort Kaiwarra was renamed after an Irish New Zealander named Patrick Alphonsus Buckley (1840/1841 ?-1896), and it became known as Fort Buckley. Buckley was a former Captain of the D Battery which formed from the Wellington Artillery Volunteers (later known as the NZ Permanent Militia) and, at the time the battery was renamed, a member of the Stout-Vogel Ministry. He was knighted for his services to the colony in 1892 and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand shortly before his death in 1896. The renaming of the Fort reflected the contemporary tradition of naming Forts after prominent politicians. Fort Buckley, constructed in haste, caused those primarily responsible for its design to repent at leisure. By 1891 Bell condemned the fort, claiming that the then obsolete 64 pr guns were insufficient to deny water to a hostile cruiser, noting that, 'the arrival of just one of them would place the Capital of the Colony at mercy'. Two years later Fox noted that 'the guns do not serve the purpose of covering the inner waters', and proposed dismantling them and moving them to the Low Battery at Fort Ballance. Shortly afterwards, Wellington's first operational fort was abandoned. The guns themselves were allowed to remain, and were used for drill practice until the fort was officially decommissioned in 1904. By 1909, following the trend for displaying obsolete weapons in parklands around the country, the historic guns were dismounted and relocated to Palmerston North Square and remained there until 1941. Russia as a naval power in the Pacific had been all but destroyed in the 1904-1905 war with Japan and no other major naval powers then threatened the Pacific. In New Zealand, the coast defences built up in the nineteenth-century were allowed to run down. Obsolete weaponry was disposed of and many battery sites were abandoned. Only in Wellington and Auckland, the two key ports, was there any attempt to upgrade coastal defence sites. Fort Ballance, the main defence site for the inner harbour, was continually upgraded to keep abreast of artillery technology, but, by the turn of the century the increased firing range of enemy guns meant that defence of the harbour mouth, rather than its inner waters, became the primary concern. While Fort Ballance remained operational throughout World War One, a new fort was constructed at Point Dorset at the harbour mouth, and this became the new bastion of Wellington's coastal defence. Yet it was not until the commencement of World War Two that New Zealand's coastal defence network received a major overhaul. According to Peter Corbett, the Second World War brought about the largest coast defence construction programme ever in New Zealand. Guns were added to existing batteries and additional batteries were constructed. When Japan entered the war in 1941 the construction intensified and a large number of additional batteries were hurriedly constructed. Even Wellington's oldest fort, abandoned for almost 50 years was affected by the sudden galvanisation of New Zealand's Government to prepare for the Japanese. Fort Buckley was recommissioned. Accommodation was constructed for those serving at fort, and the site was fitted with a 40mm Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft gun, one of 12 installed in Wellington during this period. The gun provided cover for the fuel storage tanks in Kaiwharawhara, and protection for the floating dock and western end of the wharves. Yet the gun was never used and the Fort was decommissioned once again at the close of the war. Surplus to requirements, the Fort gradually fell into disrepair. The timber in the magazine and passageways constructed in 1885 gradually rotted and eventually collapsed under the earth originally intended to protect them from bombardment. Vegetation, formerly kept clear to allow a good view of the harbour, was allowed to grow up. It obscured the tramway used to transport the guns to the site and part of the road constructed between Kaiwharawhara and the Fort. The gates at the Kaiwharawhara end of the road were, at last report, lying on the ground. The gunner's cottage and the barracks were destroyed, possibly by fire. Yet the two gun emplacements, the Anti-Aircraft structures associated with World War Two, and part of the palisade remain in good condition. In 1989, over a century after its construction, Wellington's oldest coastal defence site finally became embroiled in a battle. It was then owned by what is now Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). LINZ, looking to the profits to be made on the development of a site that did, after all, have excellent views of the harbour, moved to have the land subdivided for housing. The Wellington City Council, demonstrating the strength of community feeling for the historic Fort, attempted to purchase the site for use as an historic reserve. It took 11 long years before the battle was finally won in 2001, when the Council received title to the land on which the gun emplacements are located. An important and recognised part of Wellington's history, the site is cared for by volunteers from the Highland Park Progressive Association.

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Registration Proposal report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Designer/Architect/Engineer: Major Henry Cautley with Arthur Bell. Builder/Maker: Mr Connal, Engineer of the Public Works Department acting under Major Caultley and Major Boddam; Mr Hayes, former engineer to the Manawatu City Council, was Superintendent of works. Construction and main materials: Two Gun Emplacements and mounts: Foundations of totara and concrete. Remainder constructed from reinforced concrete. Magazine and Passageway: Timber supports and lining (now rotted I collapsed), covered over with sod and gravel. Battery Observation Post (Gunner's Quarters?): Concrete foundations Excavated Terrace (Former barracks site): Concrete foundations, with brick rubble Tramway: The tramway is obscured by vegetation and no information on the construction material could be gained during a site visit on 13 May 2004. It appears that much of the tramway may have been destroyed when the Hutt Road was widened. Road Gate Posts: A visit on 13 May 2004 found no traces of these. They may be buried under the vegetation. Anti-Aircraft Battery: Concrete Palisade: Timber Physical Description: Located on a cliff in Wellington's inner harbour, the Kaiwarra Battery was 179 feet (55 metres) above sea level and faced towards the east. When the battery was being constructed a tramway, twelve chains in length (241.4 metres), was laid to allow for the guns to be hauled into position on carriages. A road was also constructed to provide better access between the Kaiwharawhara settlement and the battery. The two guns selected for the Kaiwarra Battery were the two 64 pr R.M.L guns that had arrived in the country in 1879 and been used for drill practice at the Mount Cook Barracks. They were standard-issue, ex-Royal Navy weapons, designed by the Royal Gun Factory. After being transported to the site via the tramway, the Kaiwarra Battery's two 64pr R.M.L guns were mounted on timber drums with concrete reinforcing in circular barbette pits located 77 feet (25.2 metres) apart. Around 1891 the woodwork of these drums was replaced with concrete and topped with the original 'dwarf tray platform C pivot'. According to Peter Corbett, 64 pr guns were typically mounted on simple iron garrison carriages the pressure of the recoil was absorbed by a simple hydraulic cylinder, and the gun was returned to the firing position by block and tackle. The guns were removed by 1909. The pits, or gun emplacements, were 'very solid'. They were made of heavy totara, placed cross-wise, with the interstices filled in with concrete, and a layer of concrete over the whole. An early photograph from 1885 shows the left hand gun pit in a very rudimentary state, with a sandbagged parapet in an earthen pit. By 1886 photographs show that the gun pit and parapets had been concreted and the loading galleries constructed. The two pits were 'finely finished'. One pit had two gun loading galleries and the other had one. Both pits had three shell recesses with arched tops and ringbolts sit in the parapet above each. To the west, at the rear of the pits, was a magazine in which ammunition for the guns was stored. The magazine was dug into the rear of a hillock and was lined with timber. It consisted of a shell room 9 feet by 5 feet (2.7m x 1.5m), a cartridge store that was also 9 feet by 5 feet (2.7m x 1.5m), and a shifting room of 4 feet by 5 feet (1.2m x 1.5m). The gun emplacements were connected to each other and to the magazine via a passage 3 feet 6 inches wide and 6 feet high (1 m x 1.8m). The passage was lined with timber and covered by a timber roof, which was disguised and protected by layers of sods and gravel. In forts, timber lined magazines and passageways were typically re-lined in concrete. As Fort Buckley as it was then known was abandoned early on, these upgrades never took place. This eventually resulted in the collapse of the magazine and passageway under the weight of the earth as the timber gradually rotted away. At ground level, directly above the passage, it was intended that gunner's quarters would be constructed. There is no physical evidence that this occurred and the site was later used to hold a small observation post. A barrack room 30ft by 12 ft (9.1 m x 3.7m) was erected 200 feet (61 metres) above sea level to house approximately 20 men who were initially stationed on the site. Made of wood, the barracks were described as 'partially bombproof'. In 1886 it was recorded that the cold 'southerly busters' are severely felt' in the barracks and a plea was made for the installation of a small stove. Both the gunner's quarters and the barracks were demolished after 1904. When the site of the former barracks was cleared in 2002 the front panel of a cooker was retrieved. A sod bank measuring 4 feet (1.2m) was erected all around the fortifications. In 1893 it ran for 50 yards (45.7m). This bank should have been supplemented by a ditch 7 feet (2m) deep and a position from which riflemen could fire on enemy attempting to enter the complex. However, in a report to the House of Representatives in 1893, it was recorded that the site had no ditches. It appears that the bank was supplemented by a timber palisade. Remains of this palisade are still visible. In WWII, an anti-aircraft battery and associated structures were erected. One source places this battery 'slightly up the hill' from the barracks. Current Physical condition: Michael Kelly, Heritage Consultant, inspected the gun emplacement on behalf of the NZHPT in 1998. Following his inspection, Mr Kelly recorded the comments listed below: Two Gun Emplacements: Mr Kelly noted that 'The gun emplacements are very much intact, untouched after 90 or more years and in relatively good condition'. Mr Kelly further noted that the galleries alongside the gun emplacements retain visible evidence of hand-written signs. Magazine: Mr Kelly noted that evidence of the Magazine remains on site. Peter Cooke noted in 2000 that the Magazine, and the covered walkway leading to the two gun emplacements, had collapsed and been filled in. Battery Observations Post (Gunner's Quarters?): The Battery Post was removed after the decommissioning of the Fort. Mr Kelly noted that evidence of its foundations remain on the site. Excavated Terrace (Former barracks site): The presence of the excavated terrace was noted by Mr Kelly. In 2002 the front panel of a cooker was discovered on the site. Tramway: Mr Kelly noted that he was unable to confirm the existence of any remaining features due to the vegetation cover, which obscured any physical features. Road Gate Posts: Mr Kelly noted that these continued to survive. In 2000, Peter Cooke recorded that he had found the gateposts lying on the ground. Anti-Aircraft Battery: No comment was made with regard to these structures. Palisade: Mr Kelly noted that remnants of this palisade remain intact.