Hikutaia

Coordinates: 37°17′32″S 175°39′17″E / 37.29222°S 175.65472°E / -37.29222; 175.65472
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Hikutaia
Hikutaia in 2023 viewed from the Hauraki Rail Trail
Hikutaia in 2023
viewed from the Hauraki Rail Trail
Hikutaia is located in North Island
Hikutaia
Hikutaia
Coordinates: 37°17′32″S 175°39′17″E / 37.29222°S 175.65472°E / -37.29222; 175.65472
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWaikato
DistrictThames-Coromandel District
Population
 (2013)
 • Total42

Hikutaia is a locality on the Hauraki Plains of New Zealand. It lies on State Highway 26, south east of Thames and north of Paeroa. The Hikutaia River runs from the Coromandel Range through the area to join the Waihou River.[1][2]

History and culture[edit]

The area has a rich history of Māori settlement, with several pā in the vicinity.[3]

James Cook and Joseph Banks rowed up the Waihou River on 20 November 1769 and disembarked near Hikutaia. They were impressed by the kahikatea which formed a dense forest in the area. Banks described it as "the finest timber my Eyes ever beheld".[4]

In 1794, acting on Cook's description of the forest, Captain Dell and his crew of the ship Fancy camped in a place they called Graves End, which is now Hikutaia, and took 213 kahikatea trees with assistance from local Māori. At least five ships came for more timber by the end of the century. Four Europeans were living at Hikutaia in 1799, assisting the trade in timber and the sale of Māori labour. These men lived with and married Māori.[5] Cultural misunderstandings between traders and Māori sometimes led to violence.[6]

Hikutaia was known for its cheese factory in the mid 1960s.[7] The factory opened in 1917.[8]

Marae[edit]

Hikutaiā Marae is a traditional meeting ground for the local Ngāti Maru tribe.[9] Ngāti Paoa have also traditionally lived in the area.[5]

Education[edit]

Hikutaia School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 4 and a roll of 86.[10]

Railway station[edit]

Hikutaia station

Hikutaia had a railway station from 1898 to 1995 on the Thames Branch. Larkins and O'Brien built the Kopu to Hikutaia section from August 1885 for £10,879,[11] had made good progress by January 1886[12] and completed that section in May 1887.[13] Heath and Irwin started building the Hikutaia to Paeroa section in January 1887.[14][15] The road to the station was built in 1888.[16] Work on the Paeroa to Te Aroha section began in 1892,[17] but in 1895 it was said, "a Parliamentary faction stopped the workers in their work".[18] Work on the bridges resumed in 1897,[19] including the Hikutaia River bridge, with spans of 3 x 40 ft (12 m), 13 ft (4.0 m), and 11 ft (3.4 m).[20] The Minister of Public Works was able to travel by train from Hikutaia to Thames in July 1897.[21]

Hikutaia station site in 2023

The Thames to Paeroa section of the line opened on Monday, 19 December 1898,[16] with Hikutaia as a flag station.[22] It had a partly built 6th class station (a shelter shed), 200 ft (61 m) x 12 ft (3.7 m) passenger platform, 20 ft (6.1 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed with verandah, loading bank, cattle and sheep yards. A year later there were also urinals and a passing loop for 50 wagons.[16] In 1906 the siding was extended, but goods were being stolen, as the goods shed wasn't locked and the station was unstaffed. Security improved in 1914, when a tablet porter was appointed[23] and lighting was added in 1915.[16] Signals were installed in 1916 and 1919.[23] In 1920 it was said the station was sometimes beyond its capacity and improvements were needed.[24]

As government gave support to roads and cut railway spending, decline started, tablet working ending in 1930, with only 3 mixed trains a day each way between Paeroa and Thames, the porter moved to Auckland, the tablet equipment to Mangapehi[23] and passenger trains withdrawn on 28 March 1951.[22] The crossing loop was reduced to 37 wagons in 1958, the platform was removed in September 1959 and the privy and urinal in November 1959.[23] In the 1960s the cheese factory at Wharepoa started sending its cheese from Hikutaia, rather than Wharepoa Road.[25] By 1965 the main traffic was coal to New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company and produce from it. From 17 July 1966 only traffic in wagon loads was handled and the station building and goods shed were sold on 19 April 1967 and the 2 railway houses in 1969. The stock yards were unused in 1971 and closed in March 1972, when they too were sold. The crossing loop was out of use by 1974 and removed in January 1976,[23] though another record says it was still in place in 1981.[22] By 1980, only 982 tonnes were carried, all of it lime and fertiliser.[23] On Sunday, 26 April 1981 Hikutaia closed to all traffic.[22] However, in July 1982, it re-opened for maintenance trains. June 28, 1991, was the last day of commercial traffic on the Thames branch and the line officially closed on March 29, 1995.[23] It is now used by the Hauraki Rail Trail.[26]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Komata North
Line closed, station closed
4.88 km (3.03 mi) 		  Thames Branch
New Zealand Railways Department 		  Wharepoa Road
Line closed, station closed
1.69 km (1.05 mi)

37°17′32″S 175°39′17″E / 37.29222°S 175.65472°E / -37.29222; 175.65472

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Peter Dowling, ed. (2004). Reed New Zealand Atlas. Reed Books. pp. map 15. ISBN 0-7900-0952-8.
  2. ^ Roger Smith, GeographX (2005). The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand. Robbie Burton. pp. map 45. ISBN 1-877333-20-4.
  3. ^ Phillips, Caroline (2001). Waihou Journeys: The Archaeology of 400 years of Maori Settlement. p. 44. ISBN 1-86940-227-8.
  4. ^ King, p 53.
  5. ^ a b Michael King (1993). The Coromandel. p. 54. ISBN 0-908884-29-X.
  6. ^ "Logging native forests". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  7. ^ "THAMES". Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966).
  8. ^ "HIKUTAIA CHEESE FACTORY. Ohinemuri Gazette". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 December 1917. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Te Kāhui Māngai directory". tkm.govt.nz. Te Puni Kōkiri.
  10. ^ "Te Kete Ipurangi - Hikutaia School". Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
  11. ^ "WAIKATO-THAMES RAILWAY. Thames Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 4 August 1885. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Thames Advertiser". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 18 January 1886. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Te Aroha News". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 May 1887. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  14. ^ "LATEST TELEGRAMS. Te Aroha News". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 8 January 1887. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Thames Advertiser". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 22 March 1887. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d Scoble, Juliet. "Station Archive". Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
  17. ^ "Thames Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 12 May 1892. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  18. ^ "The Rambler. Thames Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 13 June 1895. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Thames Advertiser". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 March 1897. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Ohinemuri Gazette". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 May 1897. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  21. ^ "HON. W. HALL-JONES. Ohinemuri Gazette". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 July 1897. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d "Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Ohinemuri - Hikutaia Railway Station". www.ohinemuri.org.nz. September 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  24. ^ "HIKUTAIA RAILWAY STATION. Ohinemuri Gazette". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 10 September 1920. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  25. ^ "Ohinemuri - Wharepoa Road Railway Station". ohinemuri.org.nz. September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Section D: Paeroa to Te Aroha". haurakirailtrail.co.nz. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
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