Arduous journey for giant Manapouri transformers

2015-1-15 3 News

 New Zealand, Southland: Repairs to New Zealand's largest hydro station have begun with the first of three new giant transformers being delivered to the Manapouri Power Station.

The transformers worth nearly $2.5 million each once they are delivered and installed will undergo a challenging journey to logistically one of the most difficult places to get to – Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station located on the western arm of Lake Manapouri in Fiordland National Park, in the South Island of New Zealand, reports 3 News.

The new transformers have followed the route which the original Melbourne-produced transformers took in the 1960s – they were first trucked to Brisbane and then shipped via Bluff to Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.

However, the most challenging leg of the journey starts after the ship has docked, getting from Deep Cove to the underground power station on a challenging stretch of gravel road.