Various solutions including a cable car were proposed, but an elevator up through the hill was decided upon, as "the most convenient, the safest, the most economical, and the most suited for the circumstances of the particular locality".

[2] The elevator and tunnel were proposed by Wanganui Chronicle editor John Ball and his friend, Technical School engineering instructor Edward Crow.

[3] The British-built 40 horsepower machinery was installed by a firm who had already put 180 elevators into buildings throughout New Zealand, and had a capacity of 500 passengers per hour both ways.

[7] The Durie Hill Elevator was formally opened on 2 August 1919 (although the iron staircase to the tower roof had not yet arrived).

[6] Reliable transport to the hilltop was important before widespread automobile ownership; today the Durie Hill Elevator is as much a tourist attraction as a form of public transport, because of the panoramic views at the summit that can include both Mt Ruapehu and Mt Taranaki.