Piriaka was a station on 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 ...

line, in the

Ruapehu District Ruapehu District is a territorial authority in the centre of New Zealand's North Island. It has an area of 6,734 square kilometers and the district's population in was . Features The district is landlocked, and contains the western half of the ...

of New Zealand, serving

Piriaka Piriaka is a small rural settlement beside the Whanganui River, about southeast of Taumarunui on State Highway 4 (SH4), in New Zealand's King Country. Its name is Māori, from ''piri'' (to cling close) and ''aka'' (bush climbers of various kin ...

. It was north of Kakahi and south of Manunui. It formally opened on 9 November 1908, though it was renamed from Pirihaka on 25 April 1902 and work was well advanced by 1903, with the rails laid south of Piriaka by May 1904. Goods traffic started on 11 October 1904. By 10 November 1908 a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

could take 48 wagons and there was a 6th class station, with water supply, privies and urinals, a x passenger platform, loading bank, cattle yards and a x goods shed. The level crossing, on what is now SH4, was replaced by a concrete bridge in 1937. The railway delivered cream to Kaitieke butter factory, which opened at Piriaka in 1913 and produced over 400 tons of butter in 1923. By 1937 roads had improved, but the railway was still taking some supplies to the factory.

References

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External links

1911 photo of Piriaka
* Video
train at Piriaka in 2017
Railway stations in New Zealand Ruapehu District Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui Buildings and structures in Manawatū-Whanganui Railway stations opened in 1904 Railway stations closed in 1972