Contractors working on a Dunedin water upgrade have tapped into a piece of the city’s history.
While upgrading pipes, they found an old brick barrel main dating to 1887 beneath Moray Pl.
Dunedin City Council utility delivery lead Jon Krause said the brick barrel main was "historically, quite significant".
"For a pipe that dates back to 1887, it's in fantastic shape," he said.
Mr Krause said the pipe was for stormwater, but it might also hold a connection to an old Dunedin bath house that Bath St was named after.
The Dunedin Public Baths was built in 1862 and was used by the city’s early settlers for warm baths and showers.
"My personal theory is that this watercourse main that we're replacing was partially spring fed and would have been used to feed the old bath houses."
The brick barrel main would be "completely retained" and a new 750mm diameter concrete pipe connected to it.
The new pipe would run below a Bath St building bought by the council, connecting to the brick barrel in Moray Pl, Mr Krause said."It's a really interesting contrast between what we're putting in now with plastic pipes and concrete pipes, compared to a pipe that would have been handmade brick by brick, well over 100 years ago."
He explained it was not ideal installing pipes under buildings, but it was needed to keep construction costs down and create minimal disruption to businesses in the city.
The new pipes were made to last 100 years and, "in theory", the pipes would outlast the buildings, he said.
Workers had come across numerous old utilities such as ducts made from brickwork and an old electrical cable, thought to be a part of an old streetlight system.
With pipe upgrades taking place throughout the central business area, the council came up with a creative way to temporarily enhance the lower Stuart St construction site.
Artists from Studio2, an art studio and supportive space for people with disabilities to explore their creativity, were invited by the council to display their art in an outdoor exhibition at the site.
Plywood hoardings were being installed in lower Stuart St to provide both safety for pedestrians and as a space for the outdoor exhibition.
"The exhibition will only be up for a short time, so I encourage people to head down to admire the artworks, browse the shops and show the local businesses some love," she said.
Ms Wikaira said the artists received a donation for their work and each piece would be displayed on the site with the name of the work and the artist by early next week.
Council general manager climate and city growth Scott MacLean said the hoardings would have polycarbonate "windows", allowing people to look into the 5m deep construction site.
"Work sites are typically of great interest to our city’s littlest residents, and kids will be able to safely view a crane, diggers and haulage trucks," he said.
The Moray Pl work would be completed by mid-August, that in lower Stuart St was expected to be completed by the end of October and work to reroute pipes beneath 326 Moray Pl would continue until early next year.
The pipe replacement would continue in Bath St until the end of April 2025, after which the street would get a modest "makeover" to complement its "make-under", Mr MacLean said.
