Ōtorohanga Railway Station celebrates 100th anniversary

Kiwiana-themed dress-up at the the celebration of the 100th birthday of the Ōtorohanga Railway Station.

New Zealand’s Kiwiana Town recently celebrated the 100th birthday of the Ōtorohanga Railway Station.

Opened in 1924, the station, on the North Island Main Trunk Line, was built to replace the previous one, which went up in flames in 1923.

The station is the closest to the Waitomo Caves, famous for their glowworms and tourist attractions.

The free community event had a festival-type atmosphere, with giant bubble-blowing clowns, Gambit the Magician, stilt walkers, a pipe band, dancers, music, a cake-cutting ceremony, Kiwiana costumes and even dinosaurs.

The cutting of the cake at the 100th birthday of the Ōtorohanga Railway Station.

Wahanui Crescent was closed for a street market and the various kinds of entertainment.

The Ōtorohanga District Library hosted a colouring competition and people had an opportunity to make trains out of egg cartons.

Ōtorohanga Club had vintage vehicles and machinery on display for all to look at, adding to the celebration of the town’s history.

There was a cake-cutting ceremony with several locals of importance, train-related crafts for kids at the library, and the museum displayed the original wheelbarrow used in the first sod turning at the Puniu River, which opened the King Country up to rail in 1885.

The Northern Explorer, a scenic train running from Auckland to Wellington, was welcomed by a local kapa haka group and a crowd of 200 people as it pulled up to the KiwiRail-managed station.

You can catch the Auckland to Wellington train to Ōtorohanga Railway Station on Saturdays, Mondays and Thursdays.

Trains from Wellington to Ōtorohanga depart on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

For more information, visit greatjourneysnz.com/destinations/otorohanga/otorohanga-railway-station.