Piriaka railway station

Piriaka railway station
Piriaka in 1906
General information
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	38.924200°S 175.341900°E / -38.924200; 175.341900
Elevation	230 m (750 ft)
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 387.27 km (240.64 mi)
History
Opened	11 October 1904
Closed	4 September 1972
Electrified	June 1988
Previous names	Pirihaka
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station Manunui Line open, station closed   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Kakahi Line open, station closed

Piriaka on 1972 one inch map

aerial photo of Piriaka in 1964

Piriaka was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line,^[1] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand, serving Piriaka. It was 5.27 km (3.27 mi) north of Kakahi and 4.63 km (2.88 mi) south of Manunui. It formally opened on 9 November 1908, though it was renamed from Pirihaka on 25 April 1902^[2] and work was well advanced by 1903,^[3] with the rails laid south of Piriaka by May 1904.^[4] Goods traffic started on 11 October 1904. By 10 November 1908 a passing loop could take 48 wagons and there was a 6th class station, with water supply, privies and urinals, a 300 ft (91 m) x 20 ft (6.1 m) passenger platform, loading bank, cattle yards and a 30 ft (9.1 m) x 20 ft (6.1 m) goods shed.^[2]

The level crossing, on what is now SH4, was replaced by a concrete bridge in 1937.^[5]

The railway delivered cream to Kaitieke butter factory,^[6] which opened at Piriaka in 1913^[7] and produced over 400 tons of butter in 1923.^[8] By 1937 roads had improved, but the railway was still taking some supplies to the factory.^[9]

References

1. Scoble, Juliet. "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand 1863 to 2010" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
2. "Stations". NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
3. "PROGRESS OF THE TRUNK RAILWAY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 May 1903. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
4. "MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 May 1904. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
5. "LOCAL AND GENERAL. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 July 1937. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
6. Beaglehole, Ann (August 2006). "The Taurewa Development Scheme 1939-2006" (PDF). Waitangi Tribunal.
7. "KAITIEKE. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 May 1913. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
8. "THE KAITIEKE CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY CO., LTD. NZ TRUTH". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 17 November 1923. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
9. "ZONING CREAM SUPPLIES. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 January 1937. Retrieved 13 August 2020.

External links

• 1911 photo of Piriaka
• Video - train at Piriaka in 2017