The above branch which has been about nine years in the building, and has cost approximately £400,000, was taken over by the Railway Department on 12th July. The line branches off from the main Wellington-New Plymouth track at Te Roti (about halfway between Hawera and Stratford). It runs almost due west to the coast at Opunake, which lies south-west of Mt. Egmont and is near the westmost point of the Peninsula.

The country traversed is well developed dairying land, and there is every prospect that the railways will come in for quite a quantity of the produce and supplies now carried by road. Ten stations have been provided, their names and distances from Te Roti being, Matapu (3 miles 3 chains), Duthie Road (4 miles 37 chains), Palmer Road (5 miles 47 chains), Kapuni (7 miles 23 chains), Mangawhero Road (10 miles 47 chains), Auroa Road (12 miles 33 chains), Pihama (16 miles 76 chains), Punehu (18 miles 38 chains), Waiteika (20 miles 42 chains), Opunake (22 miles 50 chains).

As there is a fine beach at Opunake it is quite likely that there will be a demand for excursion train facilities during the summer months to take trippers from various parts of the province down to the sea at this point.