276:. Eight were started each day. They were built in two sizes, differing in wall thickness, length, and internal diameter. Those for river syphons had an internal diameter of 11 ft (3.4 m), a length of 3.0 m (10 ft), a wall thickness of 230 mm (9 in), and a weight of 18 t (18,000 kg). The 723 larger pipes had an internal diameter and a length of 3.7 m (12 ft), a wall thickness of 250 mm (10 in), and weighed 28 t (28,000 kg) each. As far as is known, these were the second-largest spun reinforced concrete pipes manufactured in the world up to that time, exceeded only by those used in the United States for irrigation from the
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327:), South Belt, and the residential cul-de-sac Wayne Place) with the road frontages generally developed. The pipe shed is thus hidden from public view. It is accessible through a gap in bushes and trees from Main Street, or via The Garden Of Harmony, a reserve on South Belt. There has been a proposal to relocate the Pipe Shed to a more visible site next to the Mount Hutt Road Board building, Methven's oldest building. That building is adjacent to the work camp and fronts Main Street.
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were cast to enclose the open ends, and a wooden door was fitted into one of those; there is a vent in the concrete panel above the door. The pipe is fitted with a wooden floor. It was also used at times to store concrete. The exterior is in good condition apart from a crack in the panel above the vent, but the internal floor has deteriorated, and the door is a replacement.
339:
has the Pipe Shed on its heritage register as item 4 with a
Category A listing. The building is unique in several ways: round buildings are unusual, buildings from pre-cast concrete are rare, and it is the only remaining pipe from the RDR that is visible. It is the only reminder of a once busy work
318:
established its headquarters for the RDR and a workers' accommodation camp in
Methven. In order to store explosives at this site, one of the RDR pipes was installed at the works camp using as a base a pre-cast control gate for the water race. Wooden wedges stop the pipe from rolling. Concrete ends
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265:, proved unstable. In 1938, the irrigation canal that had already been constructed was damaged over the summer break by a slip caused by heavy rain. The canal was re-routed away from the foot of the hills and piped, using
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The Pipe Shed is the only remnant of the work camp. The land is owned by
Ashburton District Council and the surrounding area is used for grazing. On three sides, the land is surrounded by roads (Main Street
246:. At the time, it was the largest public works scheme undertaken in New Zealand, replacing several small-scale irrigation schemes. Part of the objective was to create employment, coming out of the
215:(RDR), and is the only one that remains visible. It serves as a memorial to what was the largest public works project of its time, and is registered as a Category I structure by
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211:, is a section of pipe cast in 1940 that was converted to a shed for storing explosives. The pipe was one of approximately 800 manufactured for the
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The Pipe Shed is the only pipe section manufactured for the RDR project that remains visible; all the pipes used in the project are submerged.
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261:. There were several major rivers to cross, and the land near the foot of the Surrey Hills, a range between the two branches of the
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295:, was an enthusiastic supporter of the project and drove his car into the first pipe laid at Surrey Hill.
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Mount Hutt Road Board office; relocation of the Pipe Shed next to the office has been suggested.
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camp, and the size of the pipe is a reminder of the technological accomplishment of the RDR.
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242:(RDR) was an irrigation project commenced in 1937 and led by the irrigation engineer
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The Pipe Shed is a
Category I listed historic place, listed on 14 April 2005.
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The pipes were manufactured during 1940 at The
Birches, a homestead south of
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Heritage New
Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Canterbury Region
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The Pipe Shed, on the former site of the
Methven work camp for the
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546:. Vol. LXXVIII, no. 23586. 13 March 1942. p. 6.
514:. Vol. 60, no. 288. 12 September 1940. p. 3.
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Transport buildings and structures in the
Canterbury Region
417:. Vol. 58, no. 76. 10 January 1938. p. 4.
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The main canal extends 67 km (42 mi) from the
449:. Vol. 59, no. 236. 19 July 1939. p. 6.
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571:"Bob Semple in an irrigation pipe (1st of 3)"
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382:. Ashburton District Council. Archived from
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602:New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero
575:Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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480:Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau
171:Heritage New Zealand – Category 1
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16:Heritage item in Methven, New Zealand
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486:from the original on 19 April 2022
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641:from the original on 2 March 2022
629:Jensen, Mick (12 December 2019).
518:from the original on 17 June 2022
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581:from the original on 7 May 2022.
280:and the water supply system for
231:Site of submerged syphon at the
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550:from the original on 7 May 2022
453:from the original on 7 May 2022
421:from the original on 7 May 2022
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233:South Branch Ashburton River
377:"Heritage Item 4 Pipe Shed"
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631:"Pipe relic deserves more"
538:"Huge pipe-line completed"
476:"Rangitata Diversion Race"
337:Ashburton District Council
677:Concrete shell structures
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289:minister of public works
240:Rangitata Diversion Race
223:Rangitata Diversion Race
213:Rangitata Diversion Race
141:43.636944°S 171.644583°E
37:Rangitata Diversion Race
316:Public Works Department
311:
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146:-43.636944; 171.644583
635:The Ashburton Courier
331:Heritage registration
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606:Heritage New Zealand
217:Heritage New Zealand
209:Methven, New Zealand
137: /
83:Architectural style
78:General information
667:Ashburton District
511:Ashburton Guardian
446:Ashburton Guardian
414:Ashburton Guardian
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186:Reference no.
302:Methven work camp
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506:"The first pipe"
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248:Great Depression
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389:on 31 May 2020
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181:14 April 2005
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132:171°38′40.5″E
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86:concrete pipe
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643:. Retrieved
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609:. Retrieved
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488:. Retrieved
455:. Retrieved
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409:"Heavy rain"
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391:. Retrieved
384:the original
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259:Rakaia River
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129:43°38′13.0″S
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598:"Pipe Shed"
263:Hinds River
244:Thomas Beck
144: /
119:Coordinates
113:New Zealand
104:New Zealand
661:Categories
344:References
293:Bob Semple
178:Designated
543:The Press
205:Pipe Shed
157:Completed
63:Pipe Shed
24:Pipe Shed
639:Archived
579:Archived
548:Archived
516:Archived
484:Archived
451:Archived
419:Archived
274:Mayfield
257:to the
110:Country
100:Methven
91:Address
69:Methven
282:Boston
645:8 May
611:6 May
554:8 May
522:8 May
490:7 May
457:8 May
425:8 May
393:7 May
387:(PDF)
380:(PDF)
647:2022
613:2022
556:2022
524:2022
492:2022
459:2022
427:2022
395:2022
314:The
287:The
238:The
203:The
189:7593
160:1940
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250:.
207:in
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621:^
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649:.
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397:.
323:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
