Vincent O'Malley on white man's law newsroom.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsroom.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Prime Minister Richard Seddon officially opened the service in 1902 surrounded by Kelburn’s scrub-covered hills but the quick access the service provided soon assisted the growth of the once-considered “outer” suburb. The Kelburne & Karori Tramway Company’s grant of $1000 (the equivalent of $186,300 today) influenced the selection of Victoria University’s hilltop location and ensured a healthy supply of students using the cable car to travel between the campus and the city.
The cable car power house, and the cable car line under construction circa 1901, with Upland Rd visible to the right (Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library. Reference Number: 1/2-136054-F). Despite being coined ‘’the Red rattler’’ in early years the cable car quickly established itself as a popular attraction and, by 1933, it was carrying around a million passengers a year, a similar amount to modern times.