A historic piece of prime real estate is back in the hands of the people of Auckland after a court battle and a long fight by North Shore residents.
Takapuna Head, also known as HMNZS Tamaki, will be opened to the public next month by its new owners, theDepartment of Conservation.
The 11ha stretch of land on the water's edge between Narrow Neck and Cheltenham beaches served as training and living quarters for thousands of soldiers for more than 100 years.
It is also home to Fort Cautley, a turreted fort built in 1886 to repel Russian invaders who never showed up.
"The fort itself is quite a nice little bit of nonsense really," said department archaeologist Dave Veart.
"There's even quite a lot of international interest in it now, because no one can imagine how New Zealand ever thought it was going to be attacked."
Once the Russian scare was over, the armed forces used the rabbit-warren-like concrete structure, complete with bedrooms, kitchens, tunnels and its own well, to store ammunition.
But by 1937 the Navy had abandoned the building, leaving it intact. It has been boarded up, but DoC will carry out some renovations before opening it to the public.
Mr Veart said families coming to the headland for a picnic or simply to watch the boats on the harbour would have one of the best views in Auckland - "from here Rangitoto is so close you feel you could touch it."
Also known as Operetu, the headland ended up in defence hands after being taken under the 1908 Land Act.
In 1997 former Conservation Minister Nick Smith sparked public outrage when he tried to sell it on behalf of the Defence Forces. Valuations at the time put it at about $26 million.
But the Tamaki Reserve Protection Trust successfully challenged the minister's decision in the High Court, and the land was handed over to DoC.
"This is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people," said trust member Simon Williams.
"It will be great to see the public on the land after 100 years so they can see the natural beauty of the place."
