Tahora, later also known as Parae, is a locality in the

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

region of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

, about one kilometre north of

Owaka Owaka is a small town in the Clutha District of South Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest community in the rugged, forested The Catlins, Catlins area, close to the border with Southland Region, Southland, some south o ...

located at the

Ōwaka River The Ōwaka River, until 2019 officially the Owaka River, flows southeastward through The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. Its total length is , and it shares the estuary of the Catlins River, flowing into the Pacif ...

. Previously on a railway line, Tahora was a

request stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...

. Today, there is little trace of the settlement and only parts of the railway formation remains visible.

Railway history

From 16 December 1895 until 27 February 1971, the village was served by the Catlins River Branch railway that diverged from the

Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the ...

in Balclutha. It acted as the railway's terminus for just over six months, from when the line from Glenomaru opened until another section to

was added on 22 June 1896. Today, little remains of the railway besides the line's old formation, though nearby is the Hunts Road tunnel that can be walked. The railway station was renamed Parae to avoid confusion with Tahora in North Island. This change took effect on 1 May 1916.

References

External links

View of Tahora near the traffic bridge
June 1908
Looking towards Tahora Station
October 1911
Owaka River below Tahora
January 1916 Populated places in Otago The Catlins Clutha District {{Otago-geo-stub