Opaheke railway station

Ōpaheke railway station was a flag station serving Ōpaheke on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.[1][2] It was opened in 1875[3] and closed in 1955.[4] It was called Hunua until 7 January 1912 and, though it didn't appear in the 1875 timetable,[5] Hunua was described as a small wayside station on the line's opening day.[6] The station was first listed in the December 1875 timetable, being served by 2 trains a day, taking 92 minutes for the 21 mi (34 km) from Auckland.[7] When the line was extended to Hamilton, Hunua gained an extra train and the schedule was cut to 79 minutes.[8]

Ōpaheke railway station
Ōpaheke on 1956 map
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates37.083990°S 174.956790°E / -37.083990; 174.956790
Elevation16 m (52 ft)
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 644.63 km (400.55 mi)
TracksDoubled 3 December 1939
History
Opened20 May 1875 or 6 April 1879
Closed13 November 1955
Previous namesHunua until 7 January 1912
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Papakura
Line open,
station open
4.12 km (2.56 mi)		   North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail		   Drury
Line open,
station closed
2.9 km (1.8 mi)

Hunua opened on 20 May 1875, as part of the Auckland and Mercer Railway on 20 May 1875, built by Brogden & Co,[9] when it was extended from Penrose.[10] A limited service may have started earlier, as Brogden & Sons ran excursion trains to Drury in October 1874.[11]

The station was opposite Ōpaheke Saleyards on Ōpaheke Road, on the Hay's Farm. It was a very small sixth class station,[12] with a shelter shed (20 ft (6.1 m) by 9 ft (2.7 m)).[13] By 1884 there was a passenger platform with cart approach and a loading bank, and in 1894 there was a petition for a goods shed to be built. In 1891 the Coultland Brothers obtained permission to lay a tramway from the station.[12] A suggestion was made in 1899 that a tramway could be laid between the station and Hunua coal seams.[14] However, it seems that the Hunua Colliery only used road transport to get its coal to the railway at Papakura.[15]

The station was damaged by fire on 3 May 1956 and the rest offered for sale in May 1963.[13]

See also

List of Auckland railway stations

References
  1. New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  2. Pierre, Bill (1981). North Island Main Trunk. Wellington: A.H&A.W Reed. pp. 289–290. ISBN 0589013165.
  3. "Stations". NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. "AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 June 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. "DISTRICTS OPENED BY THE RAIL WAY—APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 December 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 February 1878. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. "OPENING OF THE Auckland and Mercer Railway FOR TRAFFIC. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. "DISTRICTS OPENED BY THE RAILWAY—APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 October 1874. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  12. Glover, Hayley (23 October 2020). "Papakura to Pukekohe Electrification: archaeological assessment" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency.
  13. "Station Archive". Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. 2012.
  14. "TABLE TALK. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 September 1899. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  15. "TRAGEDY AT HUNUA. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 February 1921. Retrieved 2 May 2021.


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