Te Koura railway station facts for kids

Te Koura was once a small railway station in New Zealand. It was located on the North Island Main Trunk line. This important line connects many towns and cities across the North Island. Te Koura was a "flag station," which means trains only stopped there if someone waved a flag to get on, or if a passenger on the train asked to get off.

Te Koura Railway Station

What Was Te Koura Station?

Te Koura station opened on December 1, 1903. It was a simple station with a platform for passengers. It also had special tracks called sidings. These sidings allowed trains to pull off the main line. There was also a goods shed to store items being sent or received by train.

Trains could use the railway line near Te Koura from February 1903. Goods, like farm products or supplies, started moving through the station on June 22, 1903. The station helped the local community connect with other places.

Life Around the Station

The station served a small settlement called Te Koura. This community existed even before the railway arrived. People in the area grew crops on land next to the Ōngarue River.

In 2013, the area that includes Te Koura had about 51 people living in 27 houses. A special meeting place called Te Koura Marae is nearby. It has a memorial to remember people who died during the 1918 flu epidemic. This was a worldwide sickness that affected many people.

In 1964, there were three houses for railway workers next to the station. By 1972, only one of these houses remained.

Connecting Lines

Plans were made in 1911 for a new railway line to Stratford. This new line was supposed to join the main track about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Te Koura. However, the junction was actually built further south.

The junction finally opened in 1933 at a place called Okahukura. This spot was about 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) south of Te Koura. In 1912, the station was sometimes called Te Koura Railway. The station closed on October 10, 1971.