Otiria

Otiria is a rural locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island.[1] 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, Orauta to the west, and Hupara to the north.

Otiria
Otiria Junction showing railway yards, the railway station, and several trains, 1930s
Otiria
Coordinates: 35°23′54″S 174°0′1″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Northland Region
District	Far North District
Postcode	0281

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of planting" for Ōtiria.[2]

Education

Otiria used to have a primary school. It was closed in 2005 and students were transferred to Moerewa School.[3]

Transportation

Otiria is situated just off State Highway 1.

Otiria is the northernmost operational point of the national railway network. It is the terminus of the North Auckland Line, although a disused siding extends into Moerewa. Otiria railway station (closed in 1993) was a railway junction until the mid-1980s. The Opua Branch section of the North Auckland Line ran northeast to Kawakawa and Opua, while the Okaihau Branch ran northwest to Kaikohe and Okaihau. The railway through Otiria was built in the early 20th century to connect Opua and Kawakawa with Whangarei; the through route opened on 13 April 1911.[4] This was quickly followed by the commencement of work on the Okaihau Branch from Otiria; it opened to Kaikohe in May 1914 and Okaihau in October 1923.[5]

In December 1925, passenger trains offering direct service to and from Auckland began running through Otiria. This was initially the Northland Express between Auckland and Opua, with carriages for Okaihau detached in Otiria. It was cancelled in November 1956 and replaced by 88 seater railcars that ran between Auckland and Okaihau. Due to declining patronage and the poor reliability of the railcars, this service ended in July 1967.[6] Mixed trains to Whangarei continued to operate; the final passenger service through Otiria ran on 18 June 1976.[7] The line from Otiria to Opua ceased to be used in 1985, and when the Okaihau Branch closed on 1 November 1987, Otiria became the northernmost locality served by rail in New Zealand.[8] In 2007, one freight train was timetabled to operate every weekday each way between Otiria and Whangarei.[9] However the line was mothballed in August 2016. As of March, 2019, a possible re-opening of all or part of the Whangarei to Otiria line for freight only is under consideration.[10] In January 2020 the Government announced the reopening and building of a container terminal as part of a $109.7 million investment in Northland rail.[11]

References

1. "Place name detail: Otiria". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
2. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
3. "Mergers, Closures and New Schools, January 2005 - December 2005" (XLS). Education Counts.
4. H. J. Hansen and F. J. Neil, Tracks in the North (Auckland: H. J. Hansen, 1992), 86-88.
5. David Leitch and Brian Scott, Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998 [1995]), 9.
6. J. D. Mahoney, Kings of the Iron Road: Steam Passenger Trains of New Zealand (Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1982), 13.
7. Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 96.
8. Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 95.
9. [http://www.railnz.co.nz/times/TrainTimetableGuide.htm New Zealand Train Timetable Guide Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine, effective 17 June 2007, last updated 21 June 2007, accessed 27 June 2008.
10. 'Northland rail line may reopen' The Northern Advocate, March 28, 2019
11. "Northland rail rejuvenation". KiwiRail. Retrieved 2020-01-31.

Bibliography

• Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.