Ohakune Coach Road - Southern end

New Zealand / Manawatu-Wanganui / Ohakune /

During the construction of the North Island Main Trunk railway in 1908, horse drawn coaches carried railway passengers across the construction gap between the two railheads.
The southern railhead was at Ohakune and the northern railhead moved south from Raurimu, to National Park at the top of the spiral, and then to Makatote as the tracks were laid and viaducts built.
The unique feature about this road is that the road's surface is covered in cobblestones, or more correctly, sett stones. Stones were set on the surface of the road to give a firm grip for the horses pulling the coaches, even through winter snows.
The road was only in use by the railways for two years, from the end of 1906 to November 1908, when the railtracks from the north met the railtracks from the south at Horopito.
This section of the road has been cleared for walking up to the old gate post, then along a new side track to visit the disused tunnel, and then on to visit the Old Hapuawhenua Viaduct.
The start of the Ohakune Coach Road walk heading north, is from the northern end of Marshalls Road.
The cobbled section of the road, from Ohakune to Horopito has a New Zealand Historic Places Category 1 classification.
This section of the road passes through the National Park.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   39°23'5"S   175°23'21"E
This article was last modified 17 years ago