Te Koura railway station

Te Koura was flag station[1] on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand in the Ōngarue valley.[2] When opened in 1903 it had sidings, a platform and a goods shed,[3] The line was useable from February 1903[4] and goods traffic started on 22 June 1903.[5]

The station served a small settlement, which existed before the railway came[6][7] and where about a mile of riverside terrace was cultivated.[8] In 2013 meshblock 1030000, which includes Te Koura, had a population of 51 in 27 houses.[9] Nearby Te Koura Marae has a memorial to victims of the 1918 flu epidemic.[10]

In 1911 the new line to Stratford was planned to have its junction 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south of Te Koura.[11] The junction opened in 1933 at Okahukura, 4.4 km (2.7 mi) to the south.[12] In 1912 it was referred to as Te Koura Railway.[13]

In 1964 the station had 3 railway houses alongside,[14] but by 1972 only one was left.[15]