NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAYS

Otago Witness, Issue 3871, 22 May 1928, Page 15

NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAYS

BRANCH LINE OPENED. DARGAVILLE, May 15. The Waiotira-Kirikopuni branch of the North Auckland main trunk railway system—a length of about 16 miles—was taken over by the Railway Department to-day, the official ceremony being performed by the Prime Minister, assisted by Mrs Coates. In addition to an address by the Prime Minister, appropriate speeches were delivered by Mr F. A. Jones (Mayor of Dargaville), Mr L. J. Brake (Mayor of Whangarei), Mr V. Trounson (chairman of the Hobson County Council), Mr A. E. Harding (president of the Kaipara Chamber of Commerce and a former member of Parliament for Kaipara, and Mr Allen Bell (Minister for the Bay of Islands), and Mr W. Jones (member for Marsden ). Tne day was beautifully fine, and the ceremony was very largely attended. After the ceremony the visitors were entertained at afternoon tea by the ladies of the district. The work in connection with this line has been in progress upwards of eight years, and has been most difficult and costly, owing to the nature of the country. There is one large tunnel and in addition to the cylinder bridge over the northern Wairoa River near Kirikopuni, there are smaller. ones. The line has been open between the ends of the section under the control of the Public Works Department about two years, during which time a considerable trade has been done in the carriage of stock, manure and passengers. Kirikopniii is the centre of a very fertile block of country, and the main road north to Kaikohe starts from there. An up-to-date butter factory was also recently- completed, and will be running next year. The completion of this line brings Dargaville within an hour’s easy run of the railway system by a gcod motor road.

Work in connection with the completion of the line between Kirikopuni and Dargaville is being rapidly pushed on, and should be completed under three years, when another 13 miles will be added to the section, and it will be linked up with the Kaihu section from Dargaville to Ronnelly’s Crossing, leading to the famous Trounson Kauri Park and the Waipoua forest.