NO GO: The railway bridge over the Tirohanga Stream at Taumarere, showing the flood-damaged pier. PHOTO/BRUCE SMYTHE
NO GO: The railway bridge over the Tirohanga Stream at Taumarere, showing the flood-damaged pier. PHOTO/BRUCE SMYTHE
Destruction caused by last winter's floods is still coming to light months after one of Northland's wettest winters on record - including damage to a bridge which has temporarily derailed vintage train trips at Kawakawa.
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway is still running but only as far as theTirohanga Stream. Train fares have been halved until the damage is repaired and trips to Taumarere station can resume.
The damage was discovered only when railway trust workers removed the huge amount of flotsam and tree trunks the floods had left jammed up against Bridge 5.
One pier supporting the bridge was split by the force of water and debris. It has to be replaced. The bridge has been closed to trains in the meantime. The damage is expected to cost $10,000 to fix.
-Anyone who is able to help the trust get the railway back on track can donate to the direct debit account 38-9000-0553140-08 (with 'Bridge 5' as the reference) or send a cheque payable to Bay of Islands Vintage Railway to BOIVR Bridge 5, PO Box 142, Kawakawa 0243.
