Kopuaranga Railway Station

Kopuaranga railway station was a flag station that served the small rural settlement of Kopuaranga, 12½ km north of Masterton, in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island. It was located on the Wairarapa Line between the stations of Opaki (to the south) and Mauriceville (to the north). From its opening in 1886 it handled both passenger and freight traffic for years until closure in 1983.HistoryOperationsEarly years: 1886–1897When the station opened in mid-1886, Kopuaranga was served by mixed trains that had already been providing services to stations further south on those sections of the line that were opened as the railway line made its way north. Mauriceville was briefly the railhead (for seven months) until Mangamahoe opened early the next year followed by Eketahuna two years later. Mixed trains continued to provide the only regular passenger services to Kopuaranga until the completion of the line through to Woodville in 1897.Heyday: 1897–1908At the time the Wairarapa Line was completed, the Wellington–Manawatu Line was owned and operated by the privately held Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, meaning all government trains from Wellington to destinations north ran via the Wairarapa. The popular Napier Mail trains were diverted from their original Napier – Palmerston North route to run via the Wairarapa to Wellington, and became the main passenger service stopping at Kopuaranga, supplementing the mixed trains that continued to run on this section.