Coast Regiment didn't fully relinquish control of the fortress until 1962. The site has since had various civil infrastructure projects built on it by organisations such as the Wellington Municipal Electricity Department, Wellington Water Board and the Civil Aviation Authority. The New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department (later Telecom/Spark) has also used the site to set up telecommunication aerials since 1955, and continued to store equipment in some of the war shelters until 1997. Restoration The Karori Lions Club began restorations in 1988 and opened the fortress to the public for the first time on ANZAC Day 1989. The Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society was subsequently formed in 1992 and continue to maintain and restore the fortress. The no.1 gun pit is now completely excavated and had the bearing markings repainted, while the underground tunnel network has had the drainage system repaired and lighting installed. In 2004 the fortress was identified by Heritage New Zealand as "one of New Zealand's most significant or best representative examples of coastal defence" and listed as a Category I Historic Place. The status of the site was changed in 2019 from a recreational reserve to a historic reserve. Characteristics The fortress was based on British designs and consists of 620 m of tunnel work connecting the three gun pits and associated magazines, engine rooms, plotting rooms and other infrastructure. The tunnel walls are lined with 250 mm of concrete and only reinforced at end walls. During construction approximately 9,333 m3 of spoil was excavated and 2,900 m3 of concrete poured. The 9.2-inch Mk XV guns each weighed 135 tons and could fire a 172 kg shell to a maximum range of 30 km. Two 185 horsepower Ruston & Hornsby diesel generators provided the power necessary to lay the guns. The fortress was manned by 165 Battery of the 10th Coast Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery (later retitled 104 Battery). The theoretical strength necessary to fully operate the fortress was 195 personnel (132 men from the Territorial Force and 63 women from the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps), however the battery never exceeded a strength of more than 20 personnel. Had the third gun been installed, a total of 248 personnel would have been necessary. In Popular Culture The Fellowship of the Ring sound designers used the tunnels to record echo effects for the Mines of Moria sequence. The New Zealand horror film The Devil's Rock