Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author.
A study of the nature of the relationship betveen r'\.i l'Ways and 11ettle111ent. in the
1'1anawa tu and District between 1871 a.nd 1971
A lhesis Presented in Partial ~ulfillment of the aequirements for the ''egree of ha~ter of Arts in Geography at "assey university
BI
Kenneth G. Tester 1972
i i i
The source material used in thesis is of two typesJ pri ry and secondary. The primary material includes official government publications such as the Appendices to the Journel of the House of Representatives, particularly the Public works and Railway St tementa, the Nev Zealand Gazette, Statutes of the Colony of New Zealand, Census Publications and the Official Yearbook.
The Annual Reports of the Wellington and Ma.na.watu H.ailva.y Company, held at Alexander Turnbull Library provided much valuable information while additional material was obtained from National Archives, the Department of Lands and SurTey, New t ealand Railways and Palmerston North Public Library.
I wish to thank a.11 those who assisted me in the preparation of this thesis, particularlys
The Alexander Turnbull Library and the Palmer•ton North Public Library for permission to reproduce photographs - Mr T.J. Lovell-Smith from National Archives
- New Zealand Railways and the Department of Lands and Survey - Mrs Colleen Tester and Mrs Lynette Toms for typing the
manuscript
- The Geography Depart nt, Ma ey University and in particular, .C.R. Varr who willingly gave his time and his ad ice
K.G. Tester
Introduction General
CONT~i.~l'S
Nature of Rai lva.y 1''unc tion and Impact Lpon Settlement
::ethodoloiy
Qh1pter One The l<'oxton Tramway and Foxton-1u.nganui Ra.ilway, 1871-86
IV
~ X
XXII XXVII
1 Coastal Settlement a.nd Communication Ire - 1870 1 Inland ~ettlement and Growth of Communications ) l'he Foxton Tramway and .A."oxton-1 anganui :iailway 6 i'.,arly functions of the Poxton-.. a,nganui Railway 8 Influence of Foxton-\.anganu.1. Hai lwa.y on ..,ettlement
of hanawatu lowlands 15
.:ipecula.ti ve ~ettloment, imgby Junction 20
The \ !'lnson Tra.mway 22
1·opulation Grovth and Vistribution, 1&71-86 23
Ch9:p~er T'!C? ·rbe Wellington anJ :·.anawatu ta.ilway Company 32
... a.rly Government !'lans 32
11·orm1 tion of the "ellinJton and 1 anawatu ·lailway
Comp ,.ny 37
kailwaya Construction and Laud Act 1881 38 Gontract Between Government a.nd ,ellington and
Hanawa tu Ra.i 1 way Company 38
~hoioe of Route and Construction of Line 39 Land dettlement Activities of the ~ellington and
Manavatu R&i lway Company 4)
Initial Attempts at Land ~al••• 1884-85 Company Land Policya 1886-1908
Land Salea by the Company Land Sales••~) P.6-91
Land Saleaa 1891-1901 Land Saleaa 1901-1908 The Makerua Swamp
44
45
•6
47
4?
52
''
General lnfluence of Rollington and Mana.watu
Railway Company on .:>ettlement 58
Chapter
'hre1
1886-192169
'l'be .North Island Main Trunk ~ai 1 wa;y 69 lnfl uence of Railway on .:,ettl ement of .ta.ngi t ikci 72
.•1a.rton - Marton Junction 80
Palmerston North aa a E.ail focus 8)
~ummary 89
,Qhapter Pour Ta.ihape 1 ltailwny Settlement vhe.nter .Five The Decline of Poxton
Chapter .:>ix Hai lva.ys and :;;ettlement 1920-71
95 106
General 115
i.angi tikei Valley - 1'1a.in rrunk rtailway 121
Lther .. anawatu Uailways 124
uenere.l. ueview of flail Influence 126
The • ilson DeTiation 128
~ttect of Relocation of kailway ~acilities to
Palmerston North 130
The Turakina Ukoia Jeviation 132
Jecline of the Pox ton liranch Line 1 ))
The ~anaon 'tramw83 135
Jummary 137
Chapter
Seven Conclusiondources c onsulted
Litt
of Appendices
FIGURE§
Figure 1 Relative Importance of Passenger and Good• Traffic, 1881-1970
2 Pa•••nger and Goods Traffic, 1881-1970 3 Manavatu Diatrict Tramway•, 1871
141 148 151
Between Pagea
XXVII - XXVIII XXVII - XXVIII
7 and 8
r'igure 4 5 6 7 8 9
.Hanawatu ?~i lwo.ys, 1886
Traffic Through Each Station, 1885-86
~a.il ~erTices Per Day 1886 qunnythorpe and ?1ugby Junction 'wellington - !1.anawatu t ailwo.y
ellington and Manavatu Railway Company
nailway and Land 1884 and 1898 10 Manawatu .Rail vay1 1921
11 orthern nangitikei 1971 vawmills 12 Marton 1971
13 Development of li&il Network
Traffic Through Lach Jtation, 1920-21
VI
Between
P agea
8 and 9 14 and 15 18 and 19 2.2 and 23 39 a.nd 40
44 and 45
72 and 73 77 and 78 82 and 83 87 and 88 89 and 90 14
15 16 17
11ail ::>ervi ces J>er 1ay 1921 89 and 90
\orthern ia.ngitikei 1900, Communications95 aud 96 Traffic Through £a.eh ~tat i on, 1969-70 121 and 122 18
e
ai 1 ~ervi ces Per ua.y 197119 l a.lmerston l-4orth1s 1l1;dlways and l ndustri al t.onea
20 ~,anawatu 11ai lvays, 1971
21 )ia.gra.m to show Changing ... a.ture of the 1Lela.tionship ..,etveen na.i lways and
...>ettlement
Plate 1 2
•
35
6
7 8 9
l'LA'fES
Early ua.na.watu Tramline L'ongburn Station
Lon,burn Junction
Drirlng in the Last ~pike Sh.a.nnon Railway Station Plimruer Terrace, Shannon Plimmerton, early 190o•a
Train Derailed in Makerua Swamp Cutting on Main Trunk, 1880'•
121 and 122
130 a.nd 131 136 and 137
146 and 147
~ 13
40 40 -42 48
48
54 55 71
VII
W.t
Figure 10 Makohine Viaduct, 1903 71
Table I
I I
11 Mangaweka Via.duct 73
12 Hunterville 73
1 ) Mangaweka 1898 81
14 Mangaweka 81
15 ~Iangaonoho Flat Station, 1971
16 Palmerston North Railway Station, 1877 85 17 Palmerston North Railway Station in Square 85 18 Palmeraton North Railway Station, 1910 86 19 Palmerston North Railway Station, 1971 86
20 Roadmakers Camp, Tai hape 97
21 Taihape, 1910 97
22 Railway Houses in Mataroa Road Taihape, 1971 101 23 Railway Farm Settlement Taihape, 1971 101 24 Single Men's Huts, Railway Compound Taihape,
1971 102
25 Single Men's Huts, Railway Compound Taihape,
1971 102
26 Foxton 'Wharves, 1910 107
27 Milson Railway Deviation, Palmerston ~orth
1927 129
28 Milson Railway Deviation, Palmerston North,
1971 129
TABLb§
Railway Traffic In and Out of Manawatu ~tationa XXV Revenue from Poxton - Wanganui RailwayJ 1877-78
to 1885-86 9
III Traffic on the Foxton - Vanganui Railways
1875-76 to 1885-86 10 and. 11
IV Total of Paasenger and Gooda Traffic tor
IndiTidual Stationa1 1880-81 to 1885-86 16 V Population of Manawatu and District, 1871-86 25
VI Tow.ship Sold By Company 46
VIII
Table VII Land Sales of Wellington and Ma.nawatu
Railway Compa.ny, 1887-1908 50 VIII Population of Wellington and Manavatu
Railway Company's Settlements, 1886-1911 56 IX Wellington and Manavatu Railway, Volume
of Traffic, 1890-91 to 1905-06 60 X Total Tolume of R•ilway Traffic Through
Ma.ngaonobo and Hunterville, 1891-1902
(inclusive) 75
XI Population of Rangitikei Valley RAilvay
Towns, 1886-1921 76
XII Goods Traffic In and Out, 1910-11 and 1920-21
XIII Railway Traffic Through Marton and Marton Junction, 1890-91 to 1920-21
XIV Railway Traffic In and Out of Palmerston North, 1880-81 to 1920-21
XV Population of Manawatu and Surrounding
78 and 79 84
88
Area, 1886-1921 91
XVI Average Number ot Workers Employed on the
South End of the Main Trunk 98 XVII Importance of Taihape as a Railway Centre,
1905-06 to 1969-70 100
XVIII Goods Received at Foxton Wharf, 1875-76
and 1876-77 108
XIX Railway Traffic Inwards and Outwards at
Foxton, 1880-81 to 1885-86 108 XX Population of Poxton (1874-1966 C8naus
Dates, 109
XXI
XXII
Railway Traffic Inward a.nd Outward at Foxton, 1890-91 to 1959-60
Shipping Tonnage Entered F~rt of Foxton, 1880-81 to 1938-39
110 112 XllII Railway Traffic, 1920-21 and 1969-70 11
XXIV Volume of Livestock Carried on Local
Bailv ye, 1920-21 to 1969-70 119
llV
LiTestock Tonna*ee and LiTestock aaPercentage of Total Good• Tonnage 120 XXVI Rangitikei Valley Tovna - Railway Houses
and Railway Employee• 123
Table XXVII Ma.nawatu Railway• - Railway Bou•••
IX
hu
and Railway Employ••• 125
XXVIII Traffic on ~anaon Tramyay, 1899-1915 136 XXIX Return of Receipt• and Payment• of
Sanson Tramway, 1895-1916 136
