Ben Pick is turning the power up on our region's history this weekend by hosting a talk on the Omanawa Falls Power Station.

This Sunday, July 2, from 2pm-3pm at Brain Watkins House Museum hall, the former archaeologist and current Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Lower Northern area manager will share the history of the station.

Operating for more than 80 years last century, the Omanawa Falls Power Station was the first underground hydro-electric power station in the Southern Hemisphere

'It's quite an interesting power station built just after 1900. It has interesting ties to the Tauranga Electric Power Board,” says Ben.

The station was officially completed on August 28, 1915, and a few months later on October 2, 1915, electrical street lighting was switched on – which meant that electricity was fed to Tauranga City and replaced the city's gas lamps.

Lloyd Mandeno, born in 1888, was in charge of the station, says Ben.

'He's very famous and went on to be one of the pioneers of hydroelectric power for New Zealand.

'The Omanawa Falls Power Station is a listed category two historic place – it obviously has significant value to be listed.”

Ben will talk about the work going into this historic site, alongside TCC and plans to open the site to the public.

The talk is being held from 2pm - 3pm on Sunday July 2 at Brain Watkins House Museum hall, 233 Cameron Rd, Tauranga.