durie hill elevator

Long tunnel through the mountain, easily accessible for even wheelchairs. Lift to the top was not too long. The tower at the top that was built to commemorate the locals involved in WW1 was worth the visit as well. Nearly 200 spiral steps to the viewing platform made one puff and pant, but worth it.

Visit this place. It's a wonderful piece of history and when you walk to the top it's a wonderful unique view of Whanganui.

This old elevator starts at the end of a long underground tunnel and goes up through a hill to a look out on top. The look out has a great view of the area. For $2, it is well worth going up, and walking down the long staircase.

This fascinated me sixty years ago and it's still fun today. A long tunnel with, at the end, a public lift yo the hill top with two towers to climb each with panoramic views for miles. Built as a real transport option for the suburb, not as a tourist attraction, it has survived thanks to its unexpected glow of tourist fans. One of the very few such experiences in the world.

Its the only elevator in the southern hemisphere that goes through the middle of a hill! There is a cost but it is a minimal expense for maximum experience. Its a quaint throwback to a time when elevators had metal grilling and an attendant to operate... it's cool and well worth it! Take a trip through the tunnel off Anzac Parade...find the elevator at the end of the tunnel. Take in the vista views at the top of the lift, or visit the memorial tower right next door (free entry but the tower is locked at sundown so don't get locked in) and get an even more panoramic view of the surroundings from the top

My grandkids loved the tunnel walk into the lift..........lovely echoes ! Old fashioned lift to the top of the hill for a great view over Wanganui. You can climb up the tower for an even better view.

A good little diversion. Never been in anything like it anywhere. You walk for a minute or 2 along a tunnel into a hill at street level, then push the button & the clanking begins. Miraculously an ancient lift appears & for a ridiculously cheap ticket price the operator (Yes, as in the Olde days) shuts the contraption behind you & you rattle your way up until popping out the top of the hill. A bit of a folly as it happens, as I don't think the real-estate up there really became another seething suburb. Still lots of farmland. Let's hope it's regularly checked by the Council that owns it, as the many patches of rotting concrete blooming along the tunnel made me feel nervous. Suffice to say, the child & I walked the pretty zig-zag path back down to our car, rather than risk it again!

A $2 ride to the top on a clunky elevator circa 1916. After a long walk through the tunnel, push the button and the elevator will grind it's way down driven by a dear old lady. Worth the ride to the top but an easy walk down the hill. The views from the top are fantastic and the ride is like going back in time. A Time Machine.

We visited the Durie Hill Elevator, after walking up the 176 steps of the adjacent tower. That is also worth a visit. The elevator takes you underground where you walk along an underground tunnel about 100 metres long. It is clean and well lit and all concreted. Looks a little like an underground bunker. It was built in 1916 and is amazing. It was built to help the inhabitants get into town quickly without needing actual transport. It is still used on weekdays by school children. The most amazing thing is the echo. As you come out of the tunnel, and clap your hands into the tunnel, the resultant echo sounds like a sharp crack. Stunning!

The elevator $2 per person each way, was built with grand visions for Durie Hill’s residential future. A tunnel burrows 213m into the hillside, from where a 1919 elevator rattles 65.8m to the top. The Elevator drivers are sisters who have been doing it for years! At the summit you can climb the 176 steps of the War Memorial Tower and scan the horizon for Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu.

Just along the side of the river with layby parking. You walk in the tunnel into the hill for quite a way and then the historic society have restored and operate the lift which takes you to the top of Durie Hill. Then you can climb the tower for great view of the town and river. You have to pay for the elevator and then you can walk down the steps or go back down the lift. The stairs are very good workout.

It was amazing the long tunnel to the elevator. Then the view to from the top was great. The young ones enjoyed then climbing the tower.

A really unique experience. The views from the top are great and the echo in the tunnel to the riverside is amazing- we really enjoyed shouting out - lucky no one else was around

We took this elevator down to the city and back. A fun experience although quite pricey for what it was.

Not for those who don't like heights or enclosed spaces, but the in ground elevator is amazing - and the children loved walking along the under ground corridor and playing with the echoes. Very reasonably priced. When you get to the top avoid the climb up the tower if it is windy!