Rangiahua is a small locality near the

Hokianga Harbour The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ...

in the

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

of New Zealand.

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

passes through it. Umawera is to the west, and Okaihau to the east. Rangiahua is part of the Omahuta Forest-Horeke statistical area, which covers the upper Hokianga Harbour. For demographics of this area, see

Horeke Horeke () is a settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Kohukohu is just across the harbour. The Horeke basalts are located near the town, and can be viewed on an easy stroll through the Wairere Boulde ...

. Rangiahua nearly became New Zealand's most northern

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

terminus. In 1923, the

Okaihau Branch The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. It was the most northerly line i ...

, a

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from

Otiria Otiria is a rural locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It neighbours Moerewa to the east, with the nearest major town, Kawakawa a few kilometres further eastwards. Other nearby localities include Pokapu to the south, ...

on the

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newm ...

, was opened to Okaihau and work began on an extension to the Hokianga Harbour and

Kaitaia Kaitaia () is a town in the Far North District of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupōuri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei. It is the last major settlement on State Highway 1. Ahipara Bay, the southern end of Te Oneroa-a- ...

. There were disputes over the viability of the line, but a compromise was reached that would have established Rangiahua as the terminus. Work progressed slowly throughout the 1920s and was abandoned during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, even though the line was nearly complete - New Zealand's northernmost railway tunnel had been made and Rangiahua's railway yard and platform had been built. A report in 1931 concluded that the new line would not be economic and that the interest charge on borrowing money for its completion would increase the branch's operating loss. In 1936, a review was conducted into the future of the line, and the decision was that no extension beyond Rangiahua would be economic, and that the section from Okaihau to Rangiahua would not be viable. The abandoned track and associated equipment was salvaged for use elsewhere, and today State Highway 1 runs where the station used to be, with the platform to the east and a loading bank to the west. There is a Māori Cemetery here, called an urupā, situated near the New Zealand State Highway 1, which houses the grave of a Commonwealth casualty from World War I; Rifleman John Muriwai of the New Zealand forces contracted measles and pneumonia and died at

Trentham Military Camp Trentham Military Camp is a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) facility located in Trentham, Upper Hutt, near Wellington. Originally a New Zealand Army installation, it is now run by Defence and accommodates all three services. It also hosts Joint ...

on 28 June 1915.

References

{{Coord, 35, 18, S, 173, 38, E, region:NZ_type:city, display=title Far North District Populated places in the Northland Region