After 6½ years of construction, it took just 6½ minutes for the first trainload of passengers to speed through the 2.6- km tunnel linking the Canterbury plains to the port of Lyttelton.
Tunnelling
Events In History
Articles
Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium
Ever since 1917 Passchendaele has been a byword for the horror of the First World War. The assault on this tiny Belgian village cost the lives of thousands of New Zealand soldiers. But its impact reached far beyond the battlefield, leaving deep scars on many New Zealand communities and families. Read the full article
Page 2 - The battle for Messines
The assault on Passchendaele was part of a vast Allied offensive launched in mid-1917, which, for New Zealanders, started with the Battle for
Specialist Units of the NZEF
Overview of the role of Specialist Units in the First World War Read the full article
Page 3 - Tunnelling Company
The New Zealand Tunnelling Company formed in October 1915 was made up mainly of experienced miners. It worked exclusively on the Western Front from March 1916 until the end of the
Main image: New Zealand Tunnellers' mascot, Snowy the cat
Soldiers of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company play with their mascot, Snowy the cat in Dainville, France.
