Otiria

Otiria
Otiria
Coordinates: 35°23′54″S 174°0′1″E / 35.39833°S 174.00028°E / -35.39833; 174.00028
Country	New Zealand
Region	Northland Region
District	Far North District

Otiria is a rural locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island.^[1] 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, Orauta to the west, and Hupara to the north.

Education

Otiria formerly had a primary school. It closed in 2005 and students transferred to Moerewa School.^[2]

Transportation

Otiria is situated just off State Highway 1.

Otiria is presently the northernmost operational point of the national railway network. It is the terminus of the North Auckland Line, although a disused siding extends into Moerewa. Otiria was a railway junction until the mid-1980s. The Opua Branch section of the North Auckland Line ran northeast to Kawakawa and Opua, while the Okaihau Branch ran northwest to Kaikohe and Okaihau. The railway through Otiria was originally built in the early 20th century to connect Opua and Kawakawa with Whangarei; the through route opened on 13 April 1911.^[3] This was quickly followed by the commencement of work on the Okaihau Branch from Otiria; it opened to Kaikohe in May 1914 and Okaihau in October 1923.^[4]

In December 1925, passenger trains offering direct service to and from Auckland began running through Otiria. This was initially the Northland Express between Auckland and Opua, with carriages for Okaihau detached in Otiria. It was cancelled in November 1956 and replaced by 88 seater railcars that ran between Auckland and Okaihau. Due to declining patronage and the poor reliability of the railcars, this service ended in July 1967.^[5] Mixed trains to Whangarei continued to operate; the final passenger service through Otiria ran on 18 June 1976.^[6] The line from Otiria to Opua ceased to be used in 1985, and when the Okaihau Branch closed on 1 November 1987, Otiria became the northernmost locality served by rail in New Zealand.^[7] Presently, one freight train is timetabled to operate every weekday each way between Otiria and Whangarei.^[8]

References

1. ^ "Place Name Detail: Otiria". New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database. Land Information New Zealand. http://www.linz.govt.nz/placenames/find-names/topographic-names-db/database/index.aspx?p=34065. Retrieved 27 June 2008. 
2. ^ "Mergers, Closures and New Schools, January 2005 - December 2005" (XLS). Education Counts. http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/directories/?a=7772. 
3. ^ H. J. Hansen and F. J. Neil, Tracks in the North (Auckland: H. J. Hansen, 1992), 86-88.
4. ^ David Leitch and Brian Scott, Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998 [1995]), 9.
5. ^ J. D. Mahoney, Kings of the Iron Road: Steam Passenger Trains of New Zealand (Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1982), 13.
6. ^ Geoffrey B. Churchman and Tony Hurst, The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History (Auckland: HarperCollins, 1991), 96.
7. ^ Churchman and Hurst, The Railways of New Zealand, 95.
8. ^ New Zealand Train Timetable Guide, effective 17 June 2007, last updated 21 June 2007, accessed 27 June 2008.

Coordinates: 35°23′54″S 174°00′01″E / 35.39833°S 174.00028°E / -35.39833; 174.00028