Saturday, September 28, 2013

Thames (NZ): Memories of the Hill Street Reservoir

Back in the 1960s it wasn't unusual to turn the tap on and find some tadpoles in the bath water. Maybe it had been raining and you needed to leave the taps on to try and clear the silt and debris.

Over the years Thames had many ingenious ways to get a water supply to the town. These included very complex water races around the town. The Kauaeranga River providing a large amount of water for the township.

The photo below is taken February 1973, of the Reservoir which was located at the north end of Hill Street Thames. A large, open, concrete 'bowl' that held a water reserve for the Thames township. Things were grim when this photo was taken - the reservoir literally empty!
Thames Star 27 February 1973
(Thanks to Thames Library for access to archives)
There is an article in The Treasury Journal on the History of the Thames Water Race by D Wilton