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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 2 (May 1, 1939)

Majesty Afar

Majesty Afar.

New Zealanders and overseas visitors are intensely aware of the arresting charm of New Zealand scenery, its character indigenous, its contrasts both vivid and subtle. In earlier days, before the building of the spacious Chateau, when National Park had not yet become the glorious winter playground of New Zealand, “Massa” Johnston and his mates had realised the wonder and the beauty of this mountain scenery.

On a clear day they had, from Waimarino, a magnificient view of the three snow-capped giants, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. Nearby, the page 30 grandeur of Ruapehu, darkly tree-clad to the snow-line, with Ngauruhoe high and haughty in the distance, and Tongariro brooding in the background.

The run to Waimarino has held one breath-taking glorious moment for many an appreciative train crew. On Makatote Viaduct where the twin rails passed above the bush-covered gorge, 260 feet below, the train hovered in the shadow of grand old Ruapehu—a minute and creeping caterpillar suspended ‘twixt earth and sky. Then in one fleeting moment came a far clear glimpse of the remote majesty of Egmont, one of Nature's sudden flashes of incomparable beauty.

Mr. Johnston's transfer to Auckland in 1926 enabled his growing family to attend secondary schools of the city. In the 12 years of his Auckland service, he watched the rapid expansion of the city's outskirts and their growth to exclusive suburbs. From Auckland depot he had driven many trains and handled various classes of engine until his retirement in June, 1938.