Ōmanawa Falls Power Station (Place)

1912:

• Tauranga Borough Council commissioned an infrastructure improvements report from engineering firm H.W. Climie & Son, which identified Ōmanawa Falls as a site for a power stationi retriculation scheme.
• Ratepayers voted in favour of a £15,000 to pay for the project.

1914:

• Public Works Department approved Tauranga Borough Council taking water from the Ōmanawa Falls for the purpose of water generation, and circulating subsequent electricity.
• H.W. Climie & Son won the tender to design and manage construction.
• A cave was excavated out of rock for the power station.

1915 August 28: officially completed, and commissioned.

1915 October 2: electric street lighting in Tauranga (replacing city gas lamps).

1921: Enlarged by further excavation into the rock, installation of a vaulted concrete roof, and 600kw generator.

1992: Energy Companies Act transferred ownership from the Council to the newly created Tauranga Electricity Ltd.

1993 December: Registered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga as Historic Place Category 2, under the Historic Places Act 1993.

1997 June: Council owned Tauranga Civic Holdings Ltd became the full owners (rather than majority interest).

1997 October: Manawa Energy (formerly Trustpower) purchased Tauranga Electricity.

1998 July 29: the station was decommissioned and gifted to Tauranga City Council.

2007: Michael Davis, hydro developer, negotiated a 35-year lease with Tauranga City Council to restore the vandalised station.

2008 November: the station began generating electricity again, supplying to PowerCo's Kaimai feeder.

2020: upgrade to restore and develop equipment, increasing efficiency and output.

Equipment has included:

• Initially two 75kw 400 volt direct-coupled generating sets.
• Three phase 11 kV lines to transport the power.
• Escher Wyss cast iron turbine, 1,200 hp, 275 rpm (originally used at a gold quartz crushing plant in Karangahake Gorge).

Staff over the years included: Warren Aitken, Jim Berryman, E.L. Gossett (original operator), Lloyd Mandeno (original electrical engineer), Johnny Milne, Tommy Milne.

See also: Tauranga Electricity Power Board