DESPITE THE EARLY COMPLETION of the South Island main trunk, the drawn-out North Island main trunk connecting Auckland and Wellington struck people in the early twentieth century as being the epitome of rail achievement: the moment when New Zealand’s rail network could be said to have a backbone.
Construction of the line that became the North Island main trunk began at Penrose on the Auckland to Onehunga link. An army contingent known as the Engineer Volunteer Militia built the section of line between Rangiriri and Ngaruawahia. The militia had been formed in 1873 in case of a further outbreak of hostilities with Maori but, when such fears came to nothing, the men were redeployed working on the railway.
The militia members might have regarded rail construction as less onerous than fighting a war, but their days were long and regimented. They may have received three hot meals a day, but those days began with an hour’s basic drill, followed by 12 hours’ work on the line, with two 90-minute breaks. By the time the militia was disbanded in 1875, much of this section of the line was completed.
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In December 1877, citizens of Hamilton celebrated the arrival of the railway line from Auckland. At a time when the opening of such links caused momentous celebrations, it is important to remember the transport limitations prior to the arrival of the iron horse.
Previously, the journey had to be undertaken by coach or riverboat. Having the Waikato and Waipa rivers on your back step seemed a huge advantage — and it was for several years — when heavy items needed to be transported into the inland recesses of Waikato–King Country. As for passenger travel, the rivers were never lightning quick.
An early settler, when recounting his journey by river in 1868, described how he had missed the steamer from Ngaruawahia to Hamilton. Desperate to get to Hamilton, he had taken to his scrapers along the rudimentary roads and found he had arrived in Hamilton before the steamer.
It was in 1868 too that the first one-day coach journey between Auckland and Hamilton occurred. The trip took roughly 11 hours, often very roughly. With the commissioning of trains on the new line, a ‘fast’ train took about five and a half hours.
A more conventional work force continued with construction as the line inched southwards. One of the main obstacles north of Hamilton was the crossing of the Waikato River: a 390-ft (118-m) bridge was required at Ngaruawahia. The section to Ngaruawahia opened in August 1877.
The line re
