19 Oct 2021
Walking tour brings transport history to life
A free, 90-minute walking tour of Wellington’s transport history is one of this year’s ‘sell-out’ events in Wellington Heritage Week. The tour will take in sites like the Wellington Railway Station, Midland Park, Cable Car and Cuba Street.
Claire Pascoe, Tobie Pretorius, David Huang, Amy Hobbs and Eddie Anand – all of whom are engineers or transport and mobility planners – will share their knowledge and explain the significance of these sites. They will provide insights into the city’s rich transport history, discussing the social impacts of transport and how it has shaped Wellington’s urban growth.
Transport is a hot topic in Wellington, and guides will also discuss possibilities for our city’s future transport network. Future-focused themes include people-centred cities and green infrastructure, tactical urbanism, and the ‘20-minute city’. The merits and place of different transport modes will also be discussed, as well as concepts of shared and separated spaces.
Wellington Heritage Week Festival Director David Batchelor says Engineering New Zealand has been instrumental in the festival's expansion into the built professions. “The festival’s aim is to expand the understanding and appreciation of heritage. We use the phrase ‘People, places, and stories’ to highlight the human element because that is what gives heritage its value.”
Engineering New Zealand’s own heritage programme aims to interpret and enhance understanding of engineering heritage, as well as inform people of the critical role engineering plays in modern society.
Other events in Wellington Heritage Week with an engineering focus include Industry in the Hutt Open Days, the Modern Wellington Walking Tour, the Public Trust Building Tour, and the Wellington Vintage Machinery Tours.
Engineering New Zealand is hosting the Walking Through Wellington’s Transport History tour in partnership with the Transportation Group, a special interest group associated with Engineering New Zealand.
Notes to reporters
- Walking through Wellington’s Transport History is at 5.30pm Wednesday 27 October and 3.30pm Saturday 30 October.
- The tour is full but we can accommodate reporters with advance notice.
- Walking Through Wellington’s Transport History tour guides are: Claire Pascoe, Transition Programme Lead, Wellington City Council; David Huang, Senior Transport Engineer, WSP; Tobie Pretorius, Regional Manager, Flow Transportation Specialists; Amy Hobbs, Senior Urban Designer, Wellington City Council; and Eddie Anand, Principal Transport Planner, Waka Kotahi.
- Wellington Heritage Week is from Monday 25 – Sunday 31 October:
- Engineering New Zealand is New Zealand's professional body for engineers, with some 20,000 members. We represent – and regulate – our members. We also act as the Registration Authority for Chartered Professional Engineers.
- Find out more about Engineering New Zealand
- For more information, contact Lachlan McKenzie on 021 479 885.
