41-603: 41°10′04″S 175°14′13″E / 41.1678°S 175.2369°E / -41.1678; 175.2369 The Remutaka Rail Trail (spelled Rimutaka Rail Trail prior to 2017) is a walking and cycling track in the North Island of New Zealand . It runs between Maymorn and Cross Creek , and follows 22 kilometres (14 mi) of the original route of the Wairarapa Line over the Remutaka Range between
82-518: A loop. The first 35 km (22 mi) of the Ride follows Hutt River Trail to Maymorn. The next 25 km (16 mi) uses the Rail Trail to reach Cross Creek. Another 42.5 km (26.4 mi) of the Ride is then on Western Lake Road, passing Lakes Wairarapa and Ōnoke , to reach Palliser Bay at Ocean Beach. A rough farm track runs 18 km (11 mi) via Turakirae Head to the end of
123-583: A suspected arson . As it was judged uneconomic to repair the building, it was demolished the following week. A new glass shelter was installed on the site of the old wooden shelter during the evening of Monday 18 May 2009. As part of preparation works for the Remutaka and Maoribank Tunnel track upgrades, in October 2023, the unused eastern platform was removed. Nothing remains of the crossing loop, and all sidings have also been lifted. Despite this, there
164-709: A whole. During the Last Glacial Period when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, the North and South islands were connected by a vast coastal plain which formed at the South Taranaki Bight . During this period, most of the North Island was covered in thorn scrubland and forest , while the modern-day Northland Peninsula was a subtropical rainforest . Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, eventually separating
205-545: Is an access road which joins with the rail trail on the hillside above the Rimutaka Tunnel portal. From the Kaitoke end, access to the rail trail can be gained either from one of several forestry roads which join up with the Kaitoke – Cross Creek section of the trail, or from a forestry road that connects with Kaitoke Loop Road about 2 ⁄ 3 km west of Station Drive. The following parking facilities are near
246-482: Is currently working through stage one of the project including preparing the yard, construction of buildings, fencing and platelaying. This will also include a rail connection of approximately 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) in length between the station and the original railway formation, for which their preferred option is to lay their own line over the Maymorn Road overpass next to the current main line. In 2003,
287-465: Is in the North Island", "my mother lives in the North Island". Maps, headings, tables, and adjectival expressions use North Island without "the". According to Māori mythology , the North and South Islands of New Zealand arose through the actions of the demigod Māui . Māui and his brothers were fishing from their canoe (the South Island) when he caught a great fish and pulled it right up from
328-562: Is served by the Wairarapa Connection , and sees five services each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two on Saturday and Sunday. This station was initially known as Mangaroa and received its present name on 26 January 1959. This station officially opened on 3 November 1955 along with the Rimutaka Deviation and Rimutaka Tunnel , and the original Mangaroa railway station was closed. The ground on which
369-489: Is still evidence of the former presence of the loop including the second platform, the gap between it and the main line, and the extra-wide Maymorn Road overpass. There is a passenger shelter on the main line platform (the shelter on the second platform has long been removed), a couple of equipment buildings, and a shed for a surfaceman's trolley. On 14 November 2009 the Rimutaka Incline Railway excavated
410-448: The 28th-most-populous island in the world. Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangārei , Auckland , Hamilton , Tauranga , Rotorua , Gisborne , New Plymouth , Napier , Hastings , Whanganui , Palmerston North , and New Zealand's capital city Wellington , which is located at the south-west tip of the island. The island has been known internationally as
451-649: The Greater Wellington Regional Council proposed extending double-track from Trentham to Upper Hutt and extending electrification north of Upper Hutt to Timberlea and Cruickshank Road. A 2011 strategy published by the Upper Hutt City Council proposes extending electrification to Maymorn, to capture planned growth in the area. As part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme announced by
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#1732791052829492-506: The North Island for many years. The Te Reo Māori name for it, Te Ika-a-Māui , also has official recognition but it remains seldom used by most residents. On some 19th-century maps, the North Island is named New Ulster (named after Ulster province in northern Ireland) which was also a province of New Zealand that included the North Island. In 2009 the New Zealand Geographic Board found that, along with
533-590: The 2023 census, 63.1% of North Islanders identified as European ( Pākehā ), 19.8% as Māori , 10.6% as Pacific peoples , 19.3% as Asian , 1.9% as Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, and 1.1% as other ethnicities. Percentages add to more than 100% as people can identify with more than one ethnicity. Māori form the majority in three districts of the North Island: Kawerau (63.2%), Ōpōtiki (66.2%) and Wairoa (68.5%). Europeans formed
574-738: The Department of Conservation to remedy a slip that occurred the previous year. The Cross Creek to Summit section is managed by the Department of Conservation, Summit to Maymorn by the Greater Wellington Regional Council. After Kaitoke the trail runs through Tunnel Gully Reserve. If traversing the entire length of the rail trail, a trip can be timed to start at Cross Creek and meet a Wairarapa Connection train at Maymorn station. This 18-kilometre (11 mi) section can be accessed from either end. At Kaitoke there are signposted directions along Incline Rd off SH 2 to
615-680: The Mangaroa Valley and the Wairarapa , including the world-famous Rimutaka Incline . Parts of the trail are also used by vehicles both from the regional council and from forestry companies with tree plantations in the area; members of the public have limited vehicular access from the Kaitoke end to a car park, go-kart track and gun range. Access is also granted by permission to horse riders. Touring coaches have been used upon occasion to convey tourists and other visitors to various parts of
656-699: The Maymorn end of this section of the trail: There are no car parking facilities at the Kaitoke end. Points of interest along this section of the route include: In 2011 the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust put forward a proposal to reinstate the railway line over the Remutaka Range. It was withdrawn in February 2012. The proposal was to incorporate all of the former railway formation that currently comprises
697-642: The North Island is provided by fifteen District Health Boards (DHBs) . Organised around geographical areas of varying population sizes, they are not coterminous with the Local Government Regions . Maymorn railway station Maymorn railway station is a twin platform, rural request stop railway station serving the small settlement of Maymorn on the Maymorn Plateau, east of Upper Hutt , in New Zealand ’s North Island. It
738-402: The Ride at Ōrongorongo. Due to soft sand near the beach and rough rocks over stream fans , a few short sections of the track cannot be cycled. From Ōrongorongo it is 30 km (19 mi) back to Petone. A road runs via Wainuiomata , or a fractionally shorter route, largely on cycleways and with less climbing, is via Baring Head , Pencarrow and Eastbourne to Petone. In 2019/20 Remutaka was
779-464: The South Island, the North Island had no official name. After a public consultation, the board officially named it North Island, or the aforementioned Te Ika-a-Māui, in October 2013. In prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island , with the definite article. It is also normal to use the preposition in rather than on , for example "Hamilton
820-437: The South Island, this is solely due to the North Island having higher natural increase (i.e. births minus deaths) and international migration; since the late 1980s, the internal migration flow has been from the North Island to the South Island. In the year to June 2020, the North Island gained 21,950 people from natural increase and 62,710 people from international migration, while losing 3,570 people from internal migration. At
861-462: The South Island, with the country's largest city, Auckland, and the capital, Wellington, accounting for nearly half of it. There are 30 urban areas in the North Island with a population of 10,000 or more: The sub-national GDP of the North Island was estimated at NZ$ 282.355 billion in 2021 (78% of New Zealand's national GDP). Nine local government regions cover the North Island and its adjacent islands and territorial waters. Healthcare in
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#1732791052829902-647: The Summit tunnel to flood. The publication of A Line Of Railway in 1976 and establishment of Featherston’s Fell Engine Museum helped spur interest in the Incline, prompting the Forest Service to provide permanent access to Cross Creek in 1984. In order to facilitate recreational use of the formation , it drained Summit Tunnel and cleared the Cross Creek yard and incline formation. A proposal mooted in
943-572: The Wairarapa station upgrade programme to accommodate the SW-class carriages for the Wairarapa Connection , this station was renovated in 2007 with works completed by the end of August that year. Selective door opening is employed at Maymorn since the platform is only long enough to fit three carriages (guards check while collecting tickets re any for Maymorn). The station's wooden passenger shelter suffered extensive fire damage on 17 July 2008 in
984-510: The area for recreation. The Incline section became the responsibility of the New Zealand Forest Service . All railway-related structures were removed from Cross Creek and Summit in the years following closure of the line. The Cross Creek yard and incline section were gradually reclaimed by nature. The Siberia embankment collapsed during a severe storm in 1967 after its drainage became blocked. A similar problem caused
1025-436: The back of the second (disused) platform to both retrieve fill and to make way for the formation of their own rail yard. From the station, an embankment on which the old line ran can be seen just past the end of Old School Road, and now has a fence line running along its apex. Hikers can access the old railway formation using an access road which starts near the station, from the corner of Maymorn Road and Parkes Line Road. At
1066-411: The circumnavigation of New Zealand. The maps described the North Island as " Ea Heinom Auwe " and " Aeheinomowe ", which recognises the "Fish of Māui" element. Another Māori name that was given to the North Island, but is now used less commonly, is Aotearoa . Use of Aotearoa to describe the North Island fell out of favour in the early 20th century, and it is now a collective Māori name for New Zealand as
1107-451: The conclusion of the Otago gold rush in the 1860s, New Zealand's European population growth has experienced a steady 'Northern drift' as population centres in the North Island have grown faster than those of New Zealand's South Island. This population trend has continued into the twenty-first century, but at a much slower rate. While the North Island's population continues to grow faster than
1148-660: The islands and linking the Cook Strait to the Tasman Sea . The North Island has an estimated population of 4,077,800 as of June 2024. The North Island had a population of 3,808,005 at the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 213,453 people (5.9%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 570,957 people (17.6%) since the 2013 census . Of the total population, 733,893 people (19.3%) were aged under 15 years, 743,154 (19.5%) were 15 to 29, 1,721,427 (45.2%) were 30 to 64, and 609,534 (16.0%) were 65 or older. Ever since
1189-568: The mid 1980s for a walkway between Cross Creek and Kaitoke culminated in the opening of the Rimutaka Rail Trail on 1 November 1987, a joint project between the Wellington Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. Shelter sheds were constructed at Cross Creek and Summit, and several picnic areas along the route. A retaining wall and culverts were installed near the entrance to Price's Tunnel in 2009 by
1230-434: The old line, but the loop remained in use for many years afterwards for operational reasons. Northbound (up) passenger services used the loop and second platform, while southbound (down) passenger services used the main line and first platform. Both platforms had identical wooden passenger shelters on them. In 1990, part of the loop was lifted, reducing it to a siding, and it was completely removed by August 1999. As part of
1271-470: The plurality in the Auckland region (49.8%) and are the majority in the remaining 39 districts. The proportion of North Islanders born overseas at the 2018 census were 29.3%. The most common foreign countries of birth were England (15.4% of overseas-born residents), Mainland China (11.3%), India (10.1%), South Africa (5.9%), Australia (5.5%) and Samoa (5.3%). The North Island has a larger population than
Remutaka Rail Trail - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-453: The rail trail. The plan meant laying of new track would occur in the future. The trust has worked on stage one of their plan, which involves the development of facilities at Maymorn. Later stages include the development of alternative facilities for current users of the rail trail prior to the laying of track. In 2013 the Rail Trail became part of a Great Ride route linking Petone via Maymorn, Cross Creek, Ocean Beach and Ōrongorongo in
1353-553: The railway corridor land on the Wellington side of the Remutaka Ranges following closure of the railway line in 1955. They retained the railway bridges so as to maintain vehicular access to the area for forestry purposes. Trees were planted by forestry staff around the summit yard and along the route from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Access was restricted, and it was rare for anyone to be granted permission to enter
1394-408: The route. The trail is a popular regional recreation facility and is used by more than 30,000 walkers, runners, and cyclists annually. It is part of a network of walking and cycling trails in public parks and reserves in the area. Several forestry roads diverge from the rail trail and are also used for recreational purposes. The Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board assumed ownership of
1435-486: The sea. While he was not looking, his brothers fought over the fish and chopped it up. This great fish became the North Island, and thus a Māori name for the North Island is Te Ika-a-Māui ("The Fish of Māui"). The mountains and valleys are believed to have been formed as a result of Māui's brothers' hacking at the fish. During Captain James Cook 's voyage between 1769 and 1770 , Tahitian navigator Tupaia accompanied
1476-485: The start of the formation, 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 km along which is a car park. On the Wairarapa side there is a turn-off to the Cross Creek car park from Western Lake Road, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-west of Featherston. From the Cross Creek car park it is a 1 ⁄ 2 hour walk to the Cross Creek station yard. About six hours should be allowed to traverse the entire distance between Cross Creek and Kaitoke. The following car parks are available for users of
1517-473: The station is located was created using fill extracted during the construction of the Rimutaka Tunnel. During construction of the tunnel, a crossing loop long enough to accommodate 116 wagons and a temporary connection to the now closed section of the Wairarapa Line were built to enable work trains to bring in materials and supplies. The connection between the old and new lines was lifted along with
1558-404: The third most popular of the 22 Great Rides then in use, with 218,770 cycle and walking trips, though only 1,976 completing the whole Ride, as it "lacks sufficient infrastructure". North Island The North Island ( Māori : Te Ika-a-Māui [tɛ i.kɐ ɐ mɑː.ʉ.i] , lit. 'the fish of Māui', officially North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui or historically New Ulster ) is one of
1599-529: The top of the access road, where it meets the formation, the remains of the Dry Creek Gully bridge which carried the line over a washout, are to the right but obscured by dense foliage. On 14 July 2005, the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust secured a 20-year heritage lease on land at the Maymorn railway yards from KiwiRail . The trust proposes to reinstate the world-famous Rimutaka Incline , with its base of operations established at Maymorn, and
1640-515: The trail: Points of interest along this section include: Though this 4.25-kilometre (2.64 mi) section can be walked or cycled from either end, access is easiest from the Maymorn end of the trail. At the end of Plateau Road is a car park for recreational users of the Tunnel Gully reserve, from which access can be gained to the rail trail. At the intersection of Maymorn Road and Parkes Line Road, near Maymorn railway station and car park,
1681-464: The two main islands of New Zealand , separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait . With an area of 113,729 km (43,911 sq mi), it is the world's 14th-largest island , constituting 43% of New Zealand's land area. It has a population of 4,077,800 (June 2024), which is 76% of New Zealand's residents, making it the most populous island in Polynesia and