Taieri Gorge Railway, Otago Central Railway, New Zealand

Taieri Gorge Railway

We started at the end of the line at a wide spot in the road called Pukerangi, which means "HILL of HEAVEN". At this point the rails were 250m above sea level.  Pukerangi wasn't always the end of the line.

The railway started in New Zealand's first city, Dunedin in 1877.  Forty-four years later the rails into Cromwell were completed.  This railway played a major part in the development of Central Otago by transporting thousands of tons of farm produce and fruit, and hundreds of thousands of head of livestock.  The train carried supplies up the valley at night and heads of livestock back down on their return trip into Dunedin to be transported else ware. Construction of the Clyde Dam required the closure of the section of line between Clyde and Cromwell.  The dam was completed in 1990 and the line officially closed April 30, 1990.

Wild Broom cover the hills reaching down into the Taieri River.

 According to the information handout we were given on the train as we rode from Pukerangi to Dunedin, the rail itself travels further northwest to Middlemarch but we were not on that train.  Our train was for tourist wanting to enjoy the Taieri Gorge in all it's spring glory.  When speaking to the natives, the intruding plant, Broom, is a nuisance.  Road crews spray broom trying to control its spreading but according to what we saw in Taieri Gorge, they are loosing the battle.  There were a number of us with cameras clicking along in overdrive, that appreciated all the color and beauty radiating from broom. 

Broom in its spring glory.
 Information on the Taieri Gorge Railway: Website.  www.taieri.co.nz

Submitted by: Bernadette Heath, photographer and writer, Janet Webb Farnsworth, writer of "Grandma Needs a Four-Wheel Drive, Adventure Travel for Seniors"  www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com