The first ever railway engine in the North Island at Kawakawa in 1871.
John and Helen McLeod first leased the Kawakawa coal mine from the Auckland Provincial government. John McLeod can also be seen sitting on the front of the train in the picture above taken
Flooding in 1934 did considerable damage to both the railway and Kawakawa itself.
Gabriel meeting the cruise ship
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Bay of Islands Vintage Railway
Our History
Our story starts back in 1864, with the discovery of coal in Kawakawa. A tramway was built four years later, using horses to get the coal to the Kawakawa River at Taumerere, nearly 4km away.
The old tram tracks – 4'8 ½" gauge –were soon replaced by the present rail line, and was the first railway line to be opened in the North Island, in 1877. The link through to Opua was completed in 1884, and led to the development of Opua as a deep-sea port.
In 1899 a fire devastated Kawakawa, leaving few buildings remaining. At that stage around 1000 people lived there, mainly on the hillside around the town. After the fire, rebuilding took place alongside the tracks, and the layout of the present town was set. Few towns in the world have a main street with the railway line running down its centre. The present station was completed in 1911, and is a heritage listed building.
The Kawakawa Coal mine became one of the best producers of coal in the country. But due to the mines flooding they were closed in the early 1900’s. There was also the frozen meat trade from The Morewa Works to the deep-water port at Opua. However in 1909 shipping ceased due to the introduction of containers and the lack of space at Opua. This led to an improvement in passenger service, especially after the line was connected to the Whangarei line in 1910.
In 1919, the Hikurangi Dairy Company began processing cream collected from farmers living on the islands in the Bay of Islands. Launches took this cream to the railhead at Opua. This was the forerunner of the now world famous “Cream Trip”, which is still operated from Paihia today by Fullers.
The Bay of Islands Harbour Board was formed in 1920, and by 1921 the Auckland Farmers Freezing Works (AFFCO) came into production. The Opua wharf was extended to accommodate refrigerated cargo, and the road between Kawakawa and Opua was built during the 1940's.
During the 1950's Opua remained a busy port. Meat, butter, tallow, milk powder and by-products were exported through Opua. The ‘Farmers Port‘ at one stage held the New Zealand record for the fastest loading. However 1965 saw an amalgamation of Whangarei and Opua Harbor Boards, shipping declined and gradually ceased.
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway was established in the late 1980's to operate a scenic tourist railway between Kawakawa and Opua. At 11.5 kilometers, it is one of the longest heritage railway lines in New Zealand, and contains 14 bridges and an 80-metre tunnel.
The railway initially performed well, but factionalism between several groups contributed to it becoming the first heritage railway to be shut down by the LTSA in 2000. Thankfully there are many supporters of the railway, who have worked very hard to get things back on track which was achieved in 2006.