The Forgotten World Adventure is a great 2-day experience taking you back in time to when New Zealand was truly rural, life was hard, and folk needed grit and determination to get ahead.
We set off from Stratford, bound for Okahukura, near Taumarunui, on a journey of discovery to better understand how this pioneering generation of New Zealanders built the rail line.
In modified golf carts, we drove on the old railway line. Over the two days, we traversed 142km, through farmland and bush, over 90 bridges and through 24 tunnels. This railroad was completed in the 1930s but abandoned in 2009, as road transport had surpassed rail and the once-prosperous towns had died.
A little history
In the late 19th century, the Government wanted a railway connection between Taranaki and the North Island’s main trunk line to open up remote areas for farming, coal mining and logging.
The line, known as the Stratford–Okahukura Line, is a fascinating and somewhat rugged piece of New Zealand rail history.
Construction
Construction work began in Stratford in 1901 and pushed eastward through extremely difficult terrain. The rail line was enormously tough to build, because it crossed rugged, dense, bush and steep valleys.
91 bridges were constructed, as well as two large viaducts over large valleys. The viaducts were built by constructing a timber trestle, then filling it with soil until it was completely buried. The largest viaduct was 120 metres long and contained 1000,000 cubic metres of soil.
24 tunnels were also constructed, mostly dug by hand using picks and shovels. The winters were wet and bitterly cold, slowing progress. The soft, unstable rock was also prone to caving in during construction. The mud was so bad the locals said, ‘you could lose your horse in the winter and find it again in the spring’.
Workers lived in camps along the line and earned less than $1 a day for a nine-hour shift. At the height of construction, the Tangaraka camp housed 1,200 men, although little evidence remains today.
Sections of the rail line opened gradually, carrying freight, timber, and livestock, as well as a passenger service. The line was vital for isolated communities along the route, such as Whangamomona and Ohura.
Booming towns
We overnighted at the Whangamomona Hotel, a town with deep heritage and a fiercely independent spirit. Its history is defined by the resilience of its people.
It was once a bustling frontier town serving the surrounding pioneering families who were breaking into the difficult hill country. The town grew rapidly in the early 1900s, reaching a peak population of over 300 people. During its heyday, it had a school, a bank, a post office, and two hotels, and was the heart of this very remote region.
Like Whangamomona, the town of Ohura has a fascinating history of boom-and-bust, too. It was once a thriving industrial hub. Coal was the lifeblood of the town, underpinning the region’s economy. At its peak in 1961, Ohura had a population of 654. It was so prosperous, for two years in the 1960s, it reportedly boasted the most successful Ford dealership in New Zealand. The town featured a cosmopolitan club, a grand Memorial Hall (opened in 1956), numerous shops, and a busy railway station on the Stratford–Okahukura Line.
Decline and bust
With the exception of Whangamomona and Ohura, there is little evidence of the 17 towns once on the rail line. A few concrete slabs have survived, once part of the station platforms.
Ohura’s reliance on a single industry made it incredibly vulnerable. When the state-owned mines closed in the early 1970s, the town’s economic heart stopped beating. Businesses and services shut almost overnight.
In an attempt to save the town, a former miners’ hostel was converted into the Ohura Prison in 1972. While it provided some employment, it couldn’t replace the scale of the mines. When the prison closed in 2005, the town lost its last major source of government services and jobs.
Today, in Ohura, you can still see the faded Edwardian shopfronts and the mid-century Ford dealership, though many buildings are now empty or used for storage.
The end
The rail line was finally ‘mothballed’ in 2009 after a fatal derailment, damaging 10 km of track near Whangamōmona. Traffic on the rail line declined as road transport improved in the mid‑20th century. Plus, maintenance costs were high due to the terrain and ageing infrastructure.
It remained idle until the Forgotten World Adventure leased the track from Kiwirail for 30 years, offering a historic journey down the Stratford–Okahukura Line, using motorised golf carts. The story is a great piece of New Zealand’s rail history, and the trip is highly recommended.
Our guide, Lorriane Wiki, from Forgotten World Adventures, was fantastic with her knowledge of the region and the construction of the rail line.
We stopped in the last tunnel before reaching Okahukura, turning off the cart lights so we could experience real darkness for several minutes. Then, Lorraine turned on her lamp and read us her thoughts, ‘The Last Stop.’ For me, this sums up the journey beautifully, ‘honouring the hands that built this line, and the communities that flourished because of it’.
Thank you, Lorraine.
