Mangatainoka
Encyclopedia
Mangatainoka is a small settlement in northern Wairarapa
Bush, New Zealand
. It is located between Pahiatua
to the south and Woodville
to the north and is intersected by the Mangatainoka River
. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
gave its population as 1,617, consisting of 858 males and 759 females, representing a decline of 7.4% or 129 people since the 1996 census. However, this figure covers not only the Mangatainoka township, but also the rural area on all sides of Pahiatua, and this includes other small settlements that are not part of Mangatainoka proper.
Mangatainoka is home to the nationally famous Tui Brewery. The community facilities include a hotel, school, golf course (Pahiatua), railway station on the Wairarapa Line
.
in Woodville
was opened on 11 December 1897. Passenger train services were originally provided by the Napier Express
until it was re-routed via the former Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's western line through the Kapiti Coast
and Horowhenua in early 1909. It was replaced by the Wairarapa Mail
, which served Mangatainoka until 1948, when it was fully replaced by the NZR RM
Wairarapa class
railcar
s that had begun operating some services in 1936. Standard
and 88 seater
class railcars also operated to Mangatainoka, especially after the Wairarapa railcars were withdrawn in the wake of the Rimutaka Incline's 1955 closure. Carriage trains through Mangatainoka were reintroduced in 1964 but did not fully replace the railcars until 1977. As roads in the area improved through the 1980s, passenger numbers declined and all services north of Masterton
ceased on 29 July 1988. Since this time, only freight trains have regularly operated through Mangatainoka; passenger services have been limited to occasional excursions, typically organised by enthusiast societies.
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
Bush, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located between Pahiatua
Pahiatua
Pahiatua is a rural service town in the south-eastern North Island of New Zealand with an urban and rural population of over 4,000. It is between Masterton and Woodville on State Highway 2 and the Wairarapa Line railway, north of Masterton and east of Palmerston North...
to the south and Woodville
Woodville, New Zealand
Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.-Early History and Local...
to the north and is intersected by the Mangatainoka River
Mangatainoka River
The Mangatainoka River is a river that flows in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North Island. Its headwaters are on the eastern side of the Tararua Range to the southwest of the town of Eketahuna, and it roughly parallels the Wairarapa Line railway and State Highway 2 through the northern...
. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...
gave its population as 1,617, consisting of 858 males and 759 females, representing a decline of 7.4% or 129 people since the 1996 census. However, this figure covers not only the Mangatainoka township, but also the rural area on all sides of Pahiatua, and this includes other small settlements that are not part of Mangatainoka proper.
Mangatainoka is home to the nationally famous Tui Brewery. The community facilities include a hotel, school, golf course (Pahiatua), railway station on the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
.
Railway history
The railway was opened to Mangatainoka in August 1897 and the settlement was briefly the terminus of the Wairarapa Line until the final section to a junction with the Palmerston North - Gisborne LinePalmerston North - Gisborne Line
The Palmerston North – Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
in Woodville
Woodville, New Zealand
Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.-Early History and Local...
was opened on 11 December 1897. Passenger train services were originally provided by the Napier Express
Napier Express
The Napier Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department initially between Napier and Palmerston North and later between Napier and Wellington. It ran from 1891 until 1954.-Introduction:...
until it was re-routed via the former Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's western line through the Kapiti Coast
Kapiti Coast
The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...
and Horowhenua in early 1909. It was replaced by the Wairarapa Mail
Wairarapa Mail
The Wairarapa Mail was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Wellington and Woodville, continuing on to Palmerston North as a mixed train...
, which served Mangatainoka until 1948, when it was fully replaced by the NZR RM
NZR RM class
The RM class is the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department and its successors given to most railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealand's national rail network. As NZR and its successors has operated many diverse types of railcars, alternate names have been given...
Wairarapa class
NZR RM class (Wairarapa)
The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar was the first truly successful class of railcars to operate on New Zealand's national rail network...
railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s that had begun operating some services in 1936. Standard
NZR RM class (Standard)
The NZR RM class Standard railcars were a class of railcar operated by the New Zealand Railways Department in the North Island of New Zealand. Officially classified as RM like all other railcar classes in New Zealand, they acquired the designation of 'Standard' to differentiate them from others...
and 88 seater
NZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
class railcars also operated to Mangatainoka, especially after the Wairarapa railcars were withdrawn in the wake of the Rimutaka Incline's 1955 closure. Carriage trains through Mangatainoka were reintroduced in 1964 but did not fully replace the railcars until 1977. As roads in the area improved through the 1980s, passenger numbers declined and all services north of Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
ceased on 29 July 1988. Since this time, only freight trains have regularly operated through Mangatainoka; passenger services have been limited to occasional excursions, typically organised by enthusiast societies.