Ohaupo Railway Station
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Ōhaupō railway station was a station located at
Ōhaupō Ōhaupō is a rural community in the Waipā District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 3 (New Zealand), State Highway 3, about halfway between Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and Te Awamutu. The Ō ...
on the
North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...
in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. It was the terminus of the line from
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
from 1878 to 1880 and closed in 1982. Only a
passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...
remains.


History

Opening of the line from
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
to Ōhaupō had been planned for 25 February 1878, as a report on 13 February said it was ready to be opened. The
Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
went over the line on 27 March 1878, but opening was postponed, due to subsidence at Rukuhia, until 4 June 1878. The service started with two trains a day. A platelayer's cottage was built by July 1878 and the station and stationmaster's house by July 1879. From 1879 to 1913 there was a Post Office at the station. Trains were speeded up in 1879 to run at to
Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
and from there to Ōhaupō, saving about an hour. On Thursday 1 July 1880 the line was extended to
Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato, Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south ...
and £397 was spent on moving the engine shed and driver's cottage there. By 1884 Ōhaupō had a 4th class station, passenger platform, cart approach to platform, by goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, stationmaster's house, urinals and a passing loop for 37 wagons. By 1896 the goods shed had a verandah. By 1902 there was a ladies' waiting room, public vestibule, ticket lobby, stationmaster's office, an asphalt platform and a 7-room stationmaster's house. In 1905 the station was enlarged, a shelter added and a caretaker appointed. In 1909 a verandah was added and by 1911 the loop could hold 75 wagons. After the NIMT fully opened in 1909, Ōhaupō was served by local trains connecting with the expresses. In 1927 the station handled 2,686 tons of fertiliser. Two state houses were added in 1956. On Saturday 18 August 1956 Ōhaupō became an attended
flag station In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
. By 1980 the loop could hold 112 wagons. The station closed on Sunday 13 June 1982. Traffic grew rapidly for the first two decades of the twentieth century, but then declined as buses and car increased (see graph and table below). The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the Creative New Zealand, arts, Culture of New Zealand, culture, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, built heritage, Sport Ne ...
gives a translation of "place of a breeze at night" for .


References

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External links


Waikato Times, Vol XI, Issue 879, 7 Feb 1878, p. 2 – rapid progress with HAMILTON-OHAUPO RAILWAY EXTENSION.Photos of station 1880s1900s1967 photo of platform
Defunct railway stations in New Zealand Rail transport in Waikato Buildings and structures in Waikato Railway stations in New Zealand opened in 1878 Railway stations in New Zealand closed in 1982