For the first time in New Zealand, tunnelling is about to begin under a major harbour.
Tunnellers are boring under Auckland’s Manukau Harbour as part of the Central Interceptor project.
Tunnellers began boring 35 metres below ground in Māngere, in August last year.
So far the tunnel boring machine, nicknamed Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, has travelled 2.5 kilometres to Māngere Bridge.
It’s sitting about 15 metres underground as workers prepare it for the trip under Auckland Port.
The plan is for the machine to run non-stop for its 1.5km journey to dry ground in Hillsborough.
They are set to complete their 14.7 kilometre journey to the finish line in Grey Lynn by 2026.
While this is the first time tunnelling has taken place under a major New Zealand harbour, Watercare has previously tunnelled under a smaller sections of water, including the Orakei Basin to create the Hobson wastewater tunnel.
