Matamau Station
Background
New Zealand suffered a period of economic depression and high unemployment in the early 1880s. For example, within a few days of opening the Hawkes Bay line to Makotuku (including Ormondville) in August 1880, the Government halted lines construction. The next section, intended to open to Tahoraiti (near Dannevirke Golf Course), contained complications such as Maori-owned land and very rugged country. Still, the Government had also turned its attention to developing the Wairarapa line from Wellington.
Around 3,000 people, a sixth of Hawkes Bay Provinces population, then lived in the Seventy-Mile Bush, and the loss of a major source of income, plus a further delay to the long-awaited railway, caused considerable shock in the district. Angry protest meetings resulted in petitions to Parliament and a number of recent Scandinavian and German immigrants living at Norsewood began planning to abandon their struggling little farms to re-migrate to the apparent prosperity of America. Certainly some headed for Salt Lake City at that time, encouraged by visiting Mormon missionaries (who did not stop long in the less sympathetic Ormondville).
By late 1881, the Government again moved to continue the Hawkes Bay line. However, where originally two large viaducts on the Makotuku-Tahoraiti section of line were to be part of the last phase of work, they were now to be under construction from the start. At least one was estimated to require 18 months to build.
Dannevirke residents and businessmen wishing to exploit valuable timber in the Dannevirke-Tahoraiti area, including the Napier Chamber of Commerce, placed pressure on the somewhat reluctant Authorities to open part of the line early. Thus in February 1884, the Minister of Public Works promised the local MP (who was also a future Tahoraiti sawmill owner) that a mid-day train would run to Matamau, as soon as the tracks were complete to that point and a station built. Thus on 30 June 1884, Matamau Station became operational. The whole Makotuku-Tahoraiti section of line opened on 1 December 1884.
In addition to the station, Matamau gained other amenities in the early 1880s. However, these also lost their status when the railhead moved on. Despite the pro-Temperance Norsewood Licensing Board cancelling all local hotel licenses in June 1884, the Matamau Hotel remained open to accommodate travellers coming to and from the Matamau railhead. However, Publican Badderley announced in January 1885 that due to the licensing issue, he would move his hotel building to Mangatera, then Dannevirke’s railway station. Matamau Hotel, therefore, closed the following month, while Matamau Post Office closed in March 1885.
The Station
The original 1884 portion of the building is the shelter shed shown furthest from the camera in the photo. The nearest portion, the tablet operators office, was added in about 1911 when signals were installed at this station. This signal system operated on the line before that time however. A floor plan confirms that the tablet office was in place by 1914 and its arrival may have coincided with the extension of the stations crossing loop around 1914. A ticket office was installed in the tablet office in 1915. Then in 1949, the old lamp room from Makotuku Station was sawn off that building and transferred to Matamau to serve as a goods shelter. The station never had a stockyard.
At 1,016 feet above sea level, Matamau is the highest station on the Hawkes Bay line. The line is steeply graded on either side of Matamau, and at times in the past assisting engines worked trains to that point.
In 1967, Matamau was converted to a switch-out tablet station and its staff reduced from three to one. It officially closed on 27 September 1981. The stations platform was removed between 1948 and 1969, when the tracks were altered.
Significance
The link between Ormondville and Matamau Stations is twofold. It is the closest listed historic station to Ormondville, while for about seventy years, trains shuttled tablets back and forth between the tablet machines within the two stations. Dannevirke was at the far end of Matamau’s other section of track.
The 1884 portion of the building is one of only two surviving examples of a Vogel era Class 6 standard station. The other is at Solway, near Masterton. Matamau is also the only example of a tablet station to survive on New Zealand’s railway system.
Present Status
Work on Matamau Station has proceeded somewhat slowly due to a shortage of workers and the need to complete other jobs at Ormondville. At present, it also lacks electricity and basic amenities. However, attention has been paid recently to improving the grounds and painting the station building.
New Zealand suffered a period of economic depression and high unemployment in the early 1880s. For example, within a few days of opening the Hawkes Bay line to Makotuku (including Ormondville) in August 1880, the Government halted lines construction. The next section, intended to open to Tahoraiti (near Dannevirke Golf Course), contained complications such as Maori-owned land and very rugged country. Still, the Government had also turned its attention to developing the Wairarapa line from Wellington.
Around 3,000 people, a sixth of Hawkes Bay Provinces population, then lived in the Seventy-Mile Bush, and the loss of a major source of income, plus a further delay to the long-awaited railway, caused considerable shock in the district. Angry protest meetings resulted in petitions to Parliament and a number of recent Scandinavian and German immigrants living at Norsewood began planning to abandon their struggling little farms to re-migrate to the apparent prosperity of America. Certainly some headed for Salt Lake City at that time, encouraged by visiting Mormon missionaries (who did not stop long in the less sympathetic Ormondville).
By late 1881, the Government again moved to continue the Hawkes Bay line. However, where originally two large viaducts on the Makotuku-Tahoraiti section of line were to be part of the last phase of work, they were now to be under construction from the start. At least one was estimated to require 18 months to build.
Dannevirke residents and businessmen wishing to exploit valuable timber in the Dannevirke-Tahoraiti area, including the Napier Chamber of Commerce, placed pressure on the somewhat reluctant Authorities to open part of the line early. Thus in February 1884, the Minister of Public Works promised the local MP (who was also a future Tahoraiti sawmill owner) that a mid-day train would run to Matamau, as soon as the tracks were complete to that point and a station built. Thus on 30 June 1884, Matamau Station became operational. The whole Makotuku-Tahoraiti section of line opened on 1 December 1884.
In addition to the station, Matamau gained other amenities in the early 1880s. However, these also lost their status when the railhead moved on. Despite the pro-Temperance Norsewood Licensing Board cancelling all local hotel licenses in June 1884, the Matamau Hotel remained open to accommodate travellers coming to and from the Matamau railhead. However, Publican Badderley announced in January 1885 that due to the licensing issue, he would move his hotel building to Mangatera, then Dannevirke’s railway station. Matamau Hotel, therefore, closed the following month, while Matamau Post Office closed in March 1885.
The Station
The original 1884 portion of the building is the shelter shed shown furthest from the camera in the photo. The nearest portion, the tablet operators office, was added in about 1911 when signals were installed at this station. This signal system operated on the line before that time however. A floor plan confirms that the tablet office was in place by 1914 and its arrival may have coincided with the extension of the stations crossing loop around 1914. A ticket office was installed in the tablet office in 1915. Then in 1949, the old lamp room from Makotuku Station was sawn off that building and transferred to Matamau to serve as a goods shelter. The station never had a stockyard.
At 1,016 feet above sea level, Matamau is the highest station on the Hawkes Bay line. The line is steeply graded on either side of Matamau, and at times in the past assisting engines worked trains to that point.
In 1967, Matamau was converted to a switch-out tablet station and its staff reduced from three to one. It officially closed on 27 September 1981. The stations platform was removed between 1948 and 1969, when the tracks were altered.
Significance
The link between Ormondville and Matamau Stations is twofold. It is the closest listed historic station to Ormondville, while for about seventy years, trains shuttled tablets back and forth between the tablet machines within the two stations. Dannevirke was at the far end of Matamau’s other section of track.
The 1884 portion of the building is one of only two surviving examples of a Vogel era Class 6 standard station. The other is at Solway, near Masterton. Matamau is also the only example of a tablet station to survive on New Zealand’s railway system.
Present Status
Work on Matamau Station has proceeded somewhat slowly due to a shortage of workers and the need to complete other jobs at Ormondville. At present, it also lacks electricity and basic amenities. However, attention has been paid recently to improving the grounds and painting the station building.
