North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) Centenary 

ONTRACK and partners are celebrating the centenary of the North Island Main Trunk during 2008 – 2009. Completing the line was an engineering achievement and the North Island Main Trunk was New Zealand’s most important transport link for many years so has a significant place in our history.

A main trunk railway between Auckland and Wellington had been discussed since the 1860s, but Vogel’s rail-building boom initially had little impact on the central North Island. By 1880 Auckland’s southern line reached as far as Te Awamutu, and isolated sections had been built in Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington–Wairarapa. Between southern Waikato and Manawatu lay a vast upland of broken country, mountains, ravines, forests and Maori land.

The driving of the 'last spike' in November 1908 marked the moment that the two railheads were formally joined and a Wellington-Auckland link created.

The Parliamentary Special was the first passenger train to travel between Wellington and Auckland entirely by rail. ONTRACK in partnership with heritage rail operators, KiwiRail and supporting sponsors recreated the running of the train over three days in August 2008.

To celebrate the centenary year, a range of commemorative items have been produced. These include a pictorial history, Main Trunk: Portrait of a Railway which is available at Bennetts Bookshops and a limited edition set of Crown Lynn railway cup and saucer available here.

ONTRACK had the support of a number of partners for the North Island Main Trunk Centenary celebrations.