Te Akeake railway station

Last updated

Te Akeake railway station
Te Akeake railway station.jpg
Te Akeake railway station in 2024
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates 35°20′57″S174°06′29″E / 35.3491°S 174.1081°E / -35.3491; 174.1081
Line Opua Branch
PlatformsYes
TracksSingle line
History
Opened1888
Closed1931
Services
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Taumarere
Line open,
station open
1 mi 44 ch (2.5 km) towards Whangārei 		  Opua Branch
NZR
distances in 1909		  Opua
Line closed,
station closed
3 mi 50 ch (5.8 km) towards Opua
Location
Te Akeake railway station

Te Akeake railway station is a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand.

Contents

NZR 1905 Opua timetable NZR 1905 Opua timetable.jpg
NZR 1905 Opua timetable

The station, sometimes named Teakeake, [1] opened after an application for a stopping place, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Taumarere, was made on 7 July 1888. About 1898, after an "application from natives", on 28 December 1893, a shelter shed and platform were built. [2] It closed on 14 August 1931 [3] and remained closed, when the platform was moved north from 3 mi 63 ch (6.1 km) from Kawakawa, [2] by about 900 m (980 yd). [4] The repositioned station reopened in December 2022 as a new terminal for the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (BoIVR). [5]

Whangae Bridge

An 1883 account described a station being built between the tunnel and the bridge over the Whangae River. It also said the banks were being washed away until stone facings were added to them. [6]

Whangae Tunnel south portal in 2024 Whangae Tunnel south portal.jpg
Whangae Tunnel south portal in 2024

From 14 August 1931 Te Akeake was replaced as a flag station by Whangae Bridge, [7] on the other side [8] of the 264 ft (80 m), [6] or 93 yd (85 m) [9] Opua Tunnel 14, [10] or Whangae Tunnel. [11] [12] Opua Tunnel was closed by a slip in 1936. [13] The station closed on 1 September 1963. [3] For the Cycle Trail a steeply graded bypass has been built around the tunnel. [5]

It was 2 mi 34 ch (3.9 km) from the station it replaced, 1 mi 27 ch (2.2 km) from Opua, 4 mi 01 ch (6.5 km) from Taumarere and 51 mi 60 ch (83.3 km) from Whangārei, had a shelter shed [2] and was served by the Auckland–Opua Northland Express. [14]

1964 derailment site (centre right) visible in 1971 (right), but not in 1955 Whangae Tunnel.jpg
1964 derailment site (centre right) visible in 1971 (right), but not in 1955

Incidents

In 1964 a man died when a locomotive took a corner too fast and toppled into the water, just south of the tunnel. [11] A temporary siding was built to get the engines out of the creek. [15] The works were still in place in 2018. [16]

On Saturday 26 June 1999, near the same location, a Vintage Railway steam train from Opua to Kawakawa was derailed at low speed when the track spread. The safety report said track maintenance was inadequate. [17]

Cycle trail

Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail opened along the rail line between Kawakawa and Ōpua in 2017. [18]

Taumarere (Long Bridge)-Te Ake Ake closed in 2021 to dig the rails out from under the trail, using $5.59m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. Kawakawa-Ōpua is leased from KiwiRail by BoIVR, which sublet the Ōpua-Taumarere to Far North District Council for the cycle trail until it was ready to extend the railway. The Ōpua-Te Ake Ake section of the trail reopened on 26 December 2022. Cyclists and walkers can use a train for a gold coin donation. A cycle trail alongside the railway is planned, when the line is reopened to Opua. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "Sun (Auckland)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 15 December 1928. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Scoble, Juliet. "Station Archive". Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
  3. 1 2 Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust.
  4. ↑ "1:63360 map Sheet NAK26". www.mapspast.org.nz. 1937. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Popular east coast cycle trail section to reopen". Far North District Council. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 "The Kawakawa railway extension. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 September 1883. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Northern Advocate". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 August 1931. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  8. ↑ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (4th ed.). Quail Map Co. 1993.
  9. ↑ "Our home letter. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 22 May 1882. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "KiwiRail Network Map". kiwirail.maps.arcgis.com. November 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Man Killed When Engine Derailed, Press". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 August 1964. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Photograph of Whangae tunnel". MOTAT. 1985.
  13. ↑ "Train services ar a standstill. Northern Advocate". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 February 1936. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 8, 11 January 1932, Page 16". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Rig falls in swamp. Press". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 September 1964. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Blockage in Lower Taumarere-Kawakawa River" (PDF). Northland Regional Council. 8 April 2018. p. 7.
  17. ↑ "Report 99-115 vintage train derailment" (PDF). Transport Accident Investigation Commission. 2 August 2000.
  18. ↑ "July, 2017 - Twin Coast Cycle Trail" . Retrieved 11 July 2024.
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