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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 5 (September 1, 1932)

Auckland District Railways — West of The Main Trunk—Fifty Years of Progress

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Auckland District Railways
West of The Main Trunk—Fifty Years of Progress

In the following article, Mr. W. R. Davidson, formerly Assistant Chief Engineer of the New Zealand Railways, gives an interesting historical sketch of the railways of the Thames Valley, and tells how railway transport has assisted settlement, and the development of industry in that fertile area in the North Island.

The year 1930 saw a comprehensive report by a Royal Commission upon the economic standing of the railways in our national life.

It is interesting to note that exactly fifty years earlier, in the year 1880, just such another Commission was appointed to enquire into the prospects, present and future, of the railways.

These two Commissions had a somewhat different outlook. One dealt with the difficulties and uncertainties of youth with all the future before it, the other with the oppositions and contentions of manhood—albeit still a useful, lusty manhood.

Transport Difficulties Fifty Years Ago.

Within the purview of that old Commission came the question of rail access to a great, fertile area known as the Thames Valley, lying between the Waikato watershed on the west, and the high ridges of the Coromandel Peninsula on the north, and embracing those wide tracts of swamps and rich pasture lands known as the Hauraki Plains. Sea and river and a few inadequate roads alone gave access to this land of promise.

The little port of Grahamstown, on the Firth of Thames, drew seaborne traffic from Auckland, while small shallow river-boats penetrated up the Thames River to Paeroa and Te Aroha. Sand banks, and snags, however, made this a hazardous route, strandings lasting a week being of frequent occurrence, and in summer time navigation on the upper reaches became impossible. On the Waikato side river-boats served a very limited area of country, and were totally inadequate for the settlers who were pressing out into the new lands being opened up.

Timber abounded north of Grahamstown, whereas the Waikato had practically none. The Waikato had coal, wattle, and produce, whereas the Grahamstown district had little or none of these commodities. The Thames goldmines were yielding their wealth abundantly, and were calling for supplies of coal, timber, and machinery.

In spite of all these circumstances, the recommendation of that old Commission was very guarded. It supported the construction of three or four miles of railway towards Morrinsville and Cambridge. There was a suggestion at that time that the line to Wellington should pass through Cambridge. It did not support the Grahamstown-Te Aroha railway, it being considered that the water communication between these points was adequate.

The Hamilton Railway Bridge.

In 1880, the Main Trunk line from Auckland had already reached Hamilton, and the iron-work for the great railway bridge across the Waikato River at this point had been ordered from England. This bridge was the railway key for the opening of the Thames Valley from the Waikato. September, 1883, saw the completion of this bridge, but in the meantime page 42 formation work had been pushed on across the easy, level country stretching towards Te Aroha. The main obstructions were patches of swamp land and the swing bridge across the Thames River at Te Aroha.

Hamilton-Te Aroha Line Completed.

October, 1884, saw the completion and opening of the railway from Hamilton to Morrinsville, and from Ruakura Junction to Cambridge. By March, 1886, the railway between Hamilton and Te Aroha was ready for traffic—ready to serve the pioneers who had pushed into the wilderness in quest of golden harvests, gold of the mountain, gold of the grain, and eventually that wonderful gold of the meadow and milking shed.

In February, 1882, the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Co., Ltd., was formed to construct, under the District Railways Act, 1887, a railway from Morrinsville to the village of Ohinemutu.

The consent of the ratepayers and owners of property to the construction of the Morrinsville to Lichfield section of the proposed line, length 42 miles, was obtained on 13th April, 1883.

In the following year the Government, under the hand of the Colonial Treasurer, Sir Julius Vogel, entered into negotiations with the company for the purchase of this portion of the railway, the chairman of the company being Dr. J. Logan Campbell. After a lengthy correspondence, matters were finally arranged, it being made incumbent on the company to complete the railway to Lichfield before handing it over to the Government.

June, 1886, saw the railway completed for traffic to Putaruru, and by a short branch line from Putaruru to Lichfield.

Advance Towards Rotorua.

In advancing the construction towards Rotorua, the earthwork between Putaruru and Ngatira, a distance of eight miles, was very heavy, and steep gradients had to be adopted to surmount the high country. The earthwork at the Rotorua end of the line was set apart for Maori labour, and it is interesting to note that the natives were particularly expert at this class of work.

The Spa, which has been established at Te Aroha, with its valuable medicinal waters, had been attracting to that town many railway travellers over the newly opened line, and it was recognised that the rapidly increasing fame and importance of the Rotorua Thermal district, with its wonders and its healing waters, necessitated rail connection to the outer world at the earliest possible moment.

With the permanent way extended to Ngatira and the foundation work completed six miles out of Rotorua, the construction work came to a temporary halt. The extension beyond Putaruru was useless, as there was no route from Ngatira to Ohinemutu. It was therefore decided to push the construction forward another ten miles to the Okohiriki Saddle, where contact was made with the main road to Rotorua. This extension also opened up one of the best blocks of agricultural land in the district, the property of the Crown, and carrying a large quantity of valuable timber. The extension also reduced the journey by coach to twelve miles, making it possible to complete the journey between Auckland and Ohinemutu in one day.

The importance of an unbroken rail journey to Rotorua, however, called for the vigorous prosecution of the railway, and in December, 1894, the first train from Auckland reached the lake. So was the door of this Wonderland flung wide to all who might come, invalids to the healing baths, fishermen to the teeming waters, holiday-makers to the beauties of lakes and forests, to the marvels of geyser, cauldron, and rapid, to the charm of Maori entertainment and domestic life, sportsmen to the lure of bowling green and tennis court, and all to a model town with model hotels. It is no mean task to haul the traffic over the two thousand feet of the Mamaku Hill on grades of one in thirty-five, but many thousands of travellers have passed this way in comfort without hurt or hindrance.

The splendid service which has been given by the Railway Department in the decades which have passed culminated, in 1930, in the inauguration of a de luxe Auckland-Rotorua Express, page 43 embodying the very latest in equipment and service.

A Wealth of Gold and Coal.

The history of the construction of the Grahamstown-Te Aroha section of the Thames Valley railway does not carry with it a tale of steady progress.

The year 1867 saw the opening up of a rich goldfield at the Thames, and by 1880 nearly five millions sterling had been won from the mines, and a community amounting in numbers to about 12,000 had established itself about the seaport of Grahamstown. This little township had perforce to draw almost all its supplies through Auckland and across the Hauraki Gulf, though a short distance away, by land, were the rich supplies of coal and produce in the Waikato.

Attending To The Needs Of The Iron Horse (Rly. Publicity photo.) The locomotive of the Auckland-Rotorua Limited Express, taking in water at Putaruru

Attending To The Needs Of The Iron Horse
(Rly. Publicity photo.)
The locomotive of the Auckland-Rotorua Limited Express, taking in water at Putaruru

About the year 1872 the people began to consider what could be done to make better contact with the outside world, and the outcome was a railway agitation which resulted in a flying survey being made of a railway route into the Waikato. Though this remained just a paper route for a number of years it was placed on record as a prospective railway, and was the subject of many political interviews. Sir Julius Vogel expressed himself as favourable to the enterprise. It was not until Sir George Grey became a member for the district in 1877 that the movement took a definite course. He advocated the construction of the railway by private enterprise, in terms of the District Railways Act, and steps were taken to interest the local bodies in the scheme. The Government, however, under the administration of Sir George Grey, decided to take over the responsibility for this railway, and constructive work was started, the first sod being turned by Sir George Grey in December, 1878.

The initial work was the reclamation of two station sites on the waterfront at Grahamstown and Shortland.

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In 1880 the projected railway came under the review of the Railway Commission of that year. This Commission's remarks on the project were as follows:— “We are of opinion that the good water communication which exists between these two points (Grahamstown and Te Aroha) makes railway communication unnecessary in the present state of the district as regards settlement. It is a matter for regret that the reclamation at Grahamstown and Shortland should have been entered upon before the construction of the railway itself; and we consider that the expensive reclamation of two station sites close together was quite unjustifiable.”

Railway Essential to Full Development.

In the light of the evidence presented to the Commission on the water communications, evidence of small cargo capacities and heavy freights, of silt and snags, of delayed passages and uncertain deliveries, it is difficult to understand the attitude of the Commission. Such communications might have served the then settlement, but it certainly gave no aid or impetus to the development of the rich tracts of land between Grahamstown and Te Aroha. This could only come from the completion of the railway. The matter of railway construction was, therefore, not allowed to rest by interested men. This young country was finding that as iron in the blood stream is to the human body, so the iron road was to the body politic. Wherever it went it energised and developed. In these early developmental days, however, difficulties of finance faced the Government at every turn, and wise discretion was needed in dealing with the many calls for railways throughout the country. Each had to get its due share of the available money, and no one project could give a criterion of the policy of the Government.

The progress with this Thames railway was slow. By 1884 the permanent way to Kopu, a distance of 4½ miles, was completed, but there were no buildings or fences. Formation work was then in hand on an additional section of 8 1/4 miles to Hikutaia. This was completed in 1888, and a further length of six miles, called the Ohinemuri section, was put in hand.

From then on progress lagged, and only necessary drainage works were carried out. The goldmining industry, however, was calling for adequate transportation, and in 1892, with the Hon. R. J. Seddon as Minister of Public Works, the construction of the line from Te Aroha towards Paeroa was given considerable impetus, and twelve miles of formation was completed. The main obstacle in this section of the line was the large bridge required over the Ohinemuri River. By 1895 all works were completed, and Paeroa was brought into rail connection with Auckland. With this accomplished, attention was directed to the completion of the railway to Grahamstown, where the works already constructed had suffered from the elements and required a considerable amount of restoration.

It was not until the end of 1898 that the long cherished idea of a railway from Thames to Auckland via the Waikato became an accomplished fact.

The Grand Consummation.

But the story does not end there. In the year 1895 a private syndicate approached the Government with a proposal to construct a light line of railway between Paeroa and Waihi, to serve the great mining developments in that district. The practicability of light railways of 2ft. gauge was interesting the country at this time, it being considered that they offered an economical means of providing the much needed rail transport in many localities.

Instructions were therefore given by the Government for the survey of a line from Paeroa to Waihi covering alternative schemes for a 2ft. gauge and a 3ft. 6in. gauge with gradients compensating for curvature, the chief basis to be the strictest economy. The survey was also to take cognisance of the possibility of extending the line to Katikati Harbour and eventually to Tauranga.

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The survey disclosed that in spite of the broken nature of the country there would be no great difficulty in constructing a 3ft. 6in. gauge line to Waihi, the main obstruction being a sharp spur in the Karangahake Gorge. This had to be pierced by a tunnel 1,188 yards in length on a one in fifty grade.

Pressing demands in other parts of the country prevented the Government from proceeding with this project, and there was still an idea of the work being done by a private syndicate. On further consideration, the Government, realising the great development in the district to be served and the large increase in the population arising therefrom, decided that the railway was a justifiable enterprise and included it in the Schedule of the Railway Authorisation Bill of 1899.

Work was commenced in 1900, and the following year saw the piercing of the Karangahake tunnel well forward, and the permanent way extending from Paeroa close to the tunnel portal. Heavy ground and copious water had yet to be met in the tunnel, which difficulties slowed up the progress work. By 1904 the tunnel was pierced, and the excavation and lining were completed by the end of that year. Meanwhile, the extensive bridgework involved in the crossings of the Ohinemuri River had been pushed forward by the contractors, Messrs. J. and A. Anderson, of Christchurch.

Home Of Maori Arts And Crafts (Rly. Publicity photo.) A Maori carver at work at Ohinemutu, Rotorua, New Zealand

Home Of Maori Arts And Crafts
(Rly. Publicity photo.)
A Maori carver at work at Ohinemutu, Rotorua, New Zealand

The line was opened for traffic to Waihi on 9th November, 1905.

As a short branch of twelve miles in length, this line has given valuable transport facilities to the mining communities of Karangahake, Waikino, and Waihi. It is now merged into the greater enterprise of the East Coast Railway, which penetrates into the rich lands of the Bay of Plenty.

This is but a brief account of the railways of the Thames Valley, railways that are not only a link between town and country, mine and mart, but are a link reaching from us back to the pioneers who in the early days carved for us a way through the wilderness.

He is most free from danger who, even when safe, is on his guard.—Syrus.