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New Plymouth District Council.

Taranaki Stories 
Transport - Rail relief - New Plymouth's first railway  
The Railway and Puke Ariki - the disappearance of a paThe Snail Rail - Stratford Main Trunk Railway, a tale of 32 yearsCharles Brown goes down in historyOnce upon a time - a little railway storyBack to list

By Sorrel Hoskin


The coming of the railway to New Plymouth changed the landscape of New Plymouth in more ways than one.


The hill Puke Ariki (Mt Eliot) once a great pa site, was the site of the early town's administrative buildings including the pilot house and signal cannon, Maori hospice, government offices, the gaol, customs house and meteorological office.

 

Mt Eliot

As it was: Mt Eliot and St Aubyn Streets from near the end of Queen St

 

Lapping at its feet, a sandy beach was a safe landing place for the surfboats that brought in ships passengers before the breakwater was built.

 

Mt Eliot map

Mt Eliot map.

[+] Click here for larger image.



A chunk of the hill was removed to make way for the passenger station and engine and goods sheds when the railway arrived.


The expansion of the railway in 1899 marked the end of the sandy beach at Puke Ariki's feet and the beginning of the end for the hill.


A sea wall was erected and nearly 80,000 yards of fill was required. Puke Ariki was at the railway's back door and 40,000 yards of fill was dug off its sides. The beach disappeared, replaced by rocks and dirt, and Puke Ariki had shrunk considerably by the time the expansion plan was finished. The sandy beach never came back.

 

The removal of Mt Eliot

The railway was the end for Mt Eliot.

 

Then a more direct route was required to the railway station. Egmont Street was dug through the middle of what remained of the hill and it disappeared. The last corner of Puke Ariki was removed in 1905.




Published 21 January 2005

 

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LIBRARY RESOURCES

Scanlan, A.B, Taranaki's First Railway, A. Scanlan, New Plymouth

 

Habershon, Richard Gratton, Stratford District Centenary 1878 - 1978, (1978) Stratford District Centennial Committee of the Stratford Borough Council, Stratford

 

ARCHIVES
Papers:  An official copy of a letter, dated 1875, from C B Knorrp, Engineer, Wellington to the Engineer in Chief, (New Plymouth?) regarding the construction of the railway line between Waitara and Wanganui. Also a report by the same engineer on the railway line to be built from Waitara to Wanganui.
(Ref: 2001-6)

 

A collection of items on the development and opening fo the Taranaki Main trunk railway in 1932.

(Ref: 2004-149)

 

WEBLINKS

Puke Ariki is not responsible for the content of these external websites.


Railway Enthusiast Links - Links to everything you could possibly want to know about New Zealand railways and trains, from the longest and shortest tunnels in the country to the history of railways in New Zealand.
 

Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand – co-ordinates the heritage and tourist rail industry in New Zealand.

 

RELATED TARANAKI STORIES

Caroline "Queenie" Perrett - a white Maori

 

PLACES TO VISIT

Waitara Railway Preservation Society

Enjoy a ride on the newly reinstated Waitara Railway Branch Line with the Waitara Railway Preservation Society.

 

Ride the train from Waitara to Lepperton and return (55 mins). 7 km of trak and a 1 in 40 gradient (the steepest gradient in NZ). Crosses a river bridge, State Highway 3 underpass. On board commentary. Operating the first and third Sunday of each month (weather permitting).

 

Additional trips will be advertised in the Taranaki Daily News. Boarding venue: West Quay, Waitara (just follow the main street into Waitara and turn down Queen Street at the roundabout and turn right at New World Supermarket).

 

Departure times: 1000 hours, 1115 hours, 1230 hours, 1345 hours and 1500 hours.

 

$10 adults, $5 children, under four years free, family concessions available. For further information phone/fax 06 757 3343.

 

MAPS

The development of Taranaki's rail network.

 

TreasureLink
A weekly resource for teachers based on a Taranaki Story. Activities, ideas for more study and links to Puke Ariki's treasures.



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