Awapuni railway station was a station in Kairanga County, on the

Foxton Branch The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. It began life as a tramway, reopened as a railway on 27 April 1876, and operated until 18 July 1959. At Himatangi there was a junction with the Sanson Tramway, a line operated by the Manawa ...

and, from 1908, the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, now in the

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

suburb of Awapuni. It was beside the Mangaone Stream, near its confluence with the Kawau Stream, about west of Maxwells Line on the north side of Pioneer Highway. Nothing remains of the former station, except a wide verge, partly occupied by a

cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except w ...

, built in 2015.

History

Awa Puni station opened on the Foxton tramway on 26 July 1873, from Foxton. A

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

petition for a platform at 3 Mile Bush on the Foxton Branch was presented on 7 August 1876. The Māori settlement at Awapuni was near the railway, with a population of 71 in 1881. The station reopened with conversion of the wooden tramway to a railway on 20 October 1876, though Awapuni wasn't shown in the timetable when services through to

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

began in 1878. A platform was mentioned in 1879. By 1884 it had a shelter shed, platform and cart approach. The platform was too short for

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

trains, leading to complaints that some coaches stopped over the stream bridge. Along with other Foxton Branch stations, Awapuni closed on 20 July 1959, shortly after opening of the

Milson Deviation Palmerston North railway station is a main station on the North Island Main Trunk serving the city of Palmerston North in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It is the northern terminus of the Capital Connection long distance commu ...

on 27 July 1959. The line through Awapuni remained in use until 21 October 1960. Awapuni_in_1949

Racecourse siding

Awa Puni Racecourse station opened on 24 December 1904 and closed on 31 October 1939. Manawatu Racing Club's course opened in 1903, with a private road to the station. In 1903 a private siding to the course was estimated to cost £2,800. The Club agreed to it in 1904 and it was completed by the end of that year to allow passenger and goods trains to serve the course, though without a platform. On race days trains stopped at the main station, or ran along the siding to serve race-goers. By December 1911, 52 wagons could be held on the siding. In 1909 race trains served Foxton, Sanson,

Feilding Feilding ( mi, Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council. Feilding has w ...

and Paekakariki. 2,734 travelled by train to the course in 1929/30. During 1938 races there were 4 trains a day from Palmerston and one from Wellington. In 1939, after NZR had decided the bridge was too weak for trains, the track was converted to a road. The racecourse and drainage board both reduced the size of the Lagoon in the 1930s.

References

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External links

Photo of track being lifted between Awapuni and Palmerston in 1967
Defunct railway stations in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Manawatū-Whanganui Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui Railway stations opened in 1873 Railway stations closed in 1959 Railway stations in New Zealand opened in the 1870s Railway stations in New Zealand closed in the 20th century