Railway through the Rata: Memories of Otira

By Stephen Wright

Otira has a unique and fascinating history: from its years as a coaching stop at the foot of the Otira Gorge, to its shanty town era through the toil of tunnel construction, to its golden years as a thriving railway town.

This richly illustrated and carefully researched book explores Otira's social history through time, while featuring a wide selection of stories from those who lived and worked there. It is a companion to two earlier Midland Line books: Journey to the Pass and West of the Divide.

There is a supplementary Otira railway houses occupants list available here.

Sample pages Additional information Corrections

A4 portrait format, soft-cover
317 pages
First published 2012 (launched at Otira Reunion 2012)

The original March 2012 printing included the following inadvertent omissions and errors which have subsequently been corrected:

Significant revision on the first 50 or so years of hotel history occurred in the September 2021 reprint (and subsequent reprints), including various corrections. Readers are advised to get hold of a copy of “Both Sides of the Valley: The Story of Otira’s Hotels”, released in November 2023, for a much more comprehensive coverage of the hotel history.
Fiona Crook should read Fiona Rayner (p. 8).
The school burnt down on Friday 19 July, not the 22nd (p. 28).
The photo of the former hospital is now believed to date from the first half of the 1930s, not the 1920s (p. 100).
It is Robert (Bob) McKenzie in the middle row, second from right (p. 139).
The photo dates from 1953 or 1954, not the 1960s (p.152)
Wally and Jill Armstrong took over the store in April 1961, rather than early 1961 (p. 159).
The Townsends left Otira in late 1955, not 1956 (p. 161).
The storekeeper was Alan Dean when Mary Dynan worked in the store (p. 164).
In the runaway railcars, some of the passengers were lying flat on the floor, but not nearly all 120 (p. 177).
It was a Hunslet Dsa (no. 263) shunting locomotive, not a rail tractor (p. 196).
Ernie Power's Bedford truck was a J-6, not J-5 (p. 199).
Franz (Frank) Purgar is between Peter Croft and Bill Mumford. Bert Elliott's face is obscured by Peter Croft (p. 207).
It was a Bell 47G helicopter, not Bell Sioux (p. 208).
The evening meal was in the dining room, not the lounge (p. 209).
In the rugby social photo, Colin Jackson is between Tommy Claire and Jim Earl in the back row (p. 212).
Based on when certain individuals left Otira, the photo was probably taken on New Year’s Eve 1959 rather than 1960 (p. 213).
Dooley was thrown in, not on, the back of the V8 coupe. It was the Theatre Royal Hotel, not the Royal Hotel, where the teams adjourned to after the game (p. 214).
Dooley's real name was Thomas Patrick Dowling, not Patrick Dowling (p. 214).
Eddie Evans sold the tearooms to Jeff Hindle in 1968. Alf Tong never owned the tearooms (p. 233).
It was Jim and Karen Davison, not Davidson (p. 233).
As seen in 8mm movie footage taken by Viv Sheehan, initially both receiving and transmitting aerials were on the same mast on the crest of the ridge (p. 239).
It was the till in the hotel bar that was burgled. Cash was stolen but the till wasn’t removed (p. 256).
It was red beech not rimu used in the spars (p. 259).
Ian Dixon started with the Railways as a locomotive trainee in 1973. He was 25 when he became the youngest ever locomotive engineer in New Zealand (p. 276).
In the Otira Fire Brigade photo, Bob Fisher is in the back row at far left (p. 301).
The 1971 singlemen's huts were replaced by new ones built in 1982-83 (p. 307).
The Hennahs ended up paying $69,000, allowing for the fire that damaged house B707 soon after they took over the village (p. 309).