Romahapa is a locality in the
Catlins region of
Otago
Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...
in
New Zealand's
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
. It is located between the towns of
Balclutha and
Owaka. The last shop closed in 1977.
Education
Romahapa has a small primary school, named Romahapa School. It was established in 1856 and is one of the oldest schools in
South Otago South Otago lies in the south east of the South Island of New Zealand. As the name suggests, it forms the southernmost part of the geographical region of Otago.
The exact definition of the area designated as South Otago is imprecise, as the area is ...
. In mid-October 2006, it celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Railway
On 15 December 1885, a
branch line railway (the
Catlins Branch Line
The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for th ...
) from the
Main South Line in Balclutha was opened to Romahapa. The village became a railway terminus for a few years and a number of
bush tramways also operated in the area during the 1890s. Romahapa lost its terminal status on 7 July 1891 when an extension opened to
Glenomaru
Glenomaru is a small settlement in The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. It is located 10 kilometres north of Owaka on the main road to Balclutha. On 7 July 1891, a branch line railway from the Main South Line in Ba ...
. The railway line came to be known as the
Catlins River Branch
The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. ...
and ultimately terminated in
Tahakopa
Tahakopa is a small settlement in The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. It is located 25 kilometres northeast of Waikawa on the Tahakopa River. On 17 February 1915, Tahakopa became the terminus of the Catlins River ...
; it serviced Romahapa until its closure on 27 February 1971. In the early 1900s, up to sixteen trains ran through Romahapa a week; these were predominantly
mixed trains. Today, the Romahapa station's
goods shed remains in its old location, while the station building has been resited a few kilometres away, and the wooden railway bridge over the Romahapa Creek still stands.
[Leitch and Scott, ''Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways'', 104-5.]
Notable people
*
Liz Craig
References
Populated places in Otago
The Catlins
Clutha District
{{Otago-geo-stub