History North Island Main Trunk

A main trunk railway between Auckland and Wellington had been discussed since the 1860s, but Vogel’s rail-building boom initially had little impact on the central North Island. By 1880 Auckland’s southern line reached as far as Te Awamutu, and isolated sections had been built in Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington–Wairarapa. Between southern Waikato and Manawatu lay a vast upland of broken country, mountains, ravines, forests and Maori land.

Despite these obstacles, survey work began in 1882. In 1884 a parliamentary committee opted for a central route over western or eastern alternatives. The government also reached a crucial agreement with Ngati Maniapoto leaders to open up the King Country to rail development. On 15 April 1885 politicians and Maori leaders ceremonially turned the ‘first sod’ of the central section at Puniu, near Te Awamutu.

It would take 23 years of exploration, engineering challenges, parliamentary enquiries, and sheer hard work with pick and shovel to complete the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT). Progress was slow in the 1890s, but work intensified after 1900. By 1904 the northern and southern sections had reached Taumarunui and Taihape. South of Taumarunui, the steep climb up to the Waimarino plateau was accomplished via the Raurimu Spiral, with its two tunnels, three horseshoe curves and complete circle. Massive steel viaducts were built to bridge deep ravines at Makatote, Hapuawhenua, Mangaweka and Makohine.

By May 1908 only a 24-km gap remained between Makatote and Ohakune. The Public Works Department rushed to complete the line by August, in time to carry MPs north to greet the US Navy’s Great White Fleet in Auckland. This ‘Parliament Special’ train took more than 20 hours to complete the trip. The NIMT was formally opened on 6 November 1908, when Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward hammered the final spike at Manganuioteao. Regular services began soon after. The following month the government took control of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, whose line now formed part of the NIMT. In February 1909 an Express service began, linking Auckland and Wellington in 18 hours. In 1924 the new ‘Night Limited’ Express cut the journey to 14 hours.

The completion of the NIMT was a major landmark in New Zealand’s history. It fuelled economic development and population growth in the North Island, and confirmed Auckland and Wellington’s status as the country’s leading cities. It paved the way for the European settlement of the central North Island, an area previously dominated by Maori. It also accelerated the destruction of the great forests that once covered much of the island. Most New Zealanders, though, saw the NIMT as a shining symbol of progress, heralding a golden age of rail transport in the first half of the 20th century.

Information generously supplied by 'On Track'