The ''Northland Express'', also known as the ''Opua Express'', was an express passenger

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

operated by the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

between 1925 and 1956. It ran from

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

via Whangarei to

Opua Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of New Zealand. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. In the original 1870s plans for the ...

in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for it ...

Operation

On 29 November 1925, the

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, we ...

linking Auckland to Whangarei and other parts of Northland was completed. Soon after passenger expresses began to operate, but the twisting, rugged nature of the railway line meant that they did not achieve particularly fast speeds. The ''Northland Express'' was the premier service north of Auckland and it operated thrice weekly in each direction.

Mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...

s operated from the termini of the Okaihau and

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangāre ...

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

s to connect with the ''Express''. By the 1950s, the ''Northland Express'' was able to maintain a schedule of 5 hours and 20 minutes on the section between Auckland and Whangarei and was operated by steam locomotives such as the J class. In tandem with the ''Northland Express'', a nightly

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...

ran between Auckland and Opua until 1956. This unnamed train was known locally as the ''

Morepork The morepork (''Ninox novaeseelandiae''), also called the ruru, is a small brown owl found in New Zealand, Norfolk Island and formerly Lord Howe Island. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook—many of t ...

'', after a breed of native owl.

Replacement

In the 1950s, the Railways Department made the decision to replace its remaining provincial expresses with

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a dri ...

services. 35 RM class 88 seater railcars were supplied in 1955, and in November 1956, the ''Northland Express'' was replaced by these railcars. They did not operate entirely the same route as the ''Northland Express''; at

Otiria Otiria is a rural locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It neighbours Moerewa to the east, with the nearest major town, Kawakawa a few kilometres further eastwards. Other nearby localities include Pokapu to the south ...

, instead of heading northeast on the

Opua Branch The Opua Branch or Otiria-Opua Industrial Line, partially still operational as the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand, between Otiria and the Bay of Islands towns ...

, they ran northwest to Okaihau. From this time, Opua's passenger services were provided by mixed trains from Whangarei and they were not timetabled to provide a connection with the railcar service, although the Dargaville mixed continued to meet the railcars until March 1967, when passengers ceased to be carried on the Dargaville Branch. The railcars reduced the journey time between Auckland and Whangarei to 4 hours and 10 minutes, but mechanical faults with the railcars and the 1959 opening of the

Auckland Harbour Bridge The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and th ...

meant that the railcars did not have a long future. They ceased operating on 31 July 1967 and passenger services on the North Auckland Line and Okaihau and Opua branches were operated by mixed trains. The Okaihau mixed ended in 1974, followed by the others in 1976.

References

Bibliography

*Graham Hutchins. "Last Stop, Bay of Islands: The Opua Express, 1946." ''Last Train to Paradise: Journeys from the Golden Age of New Zealand Railways.'' Exisle Publishing, Jun 1, 2011 {{NZR Passenger Long-distance passenger trains in New Zealand Named passenger trains of New Zealand Railway services introduced in 1925 Railway services discontinued in 1956 1925 establishments in New Zealand 1956 disestablishments in New Zealand Discontinued railway services in New Zealand