Te Aute railway station
Te Aute | |||||||||||
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| New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) regional rail | |||||||||||
Stereograph of NZR J class (1874) at Te Aute Station during a trial run from Napier to Waipukurau in 1887 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°47′35″S 176°40′37″E / 39.793°S 176.677°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 28 m (92 ft) | ||||||||||
| Owned by | KiwiRail | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Palmerston North–Gisborne Line | ||||||||||
| Distance | Palmerston North 138.38 km (85.99 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 16 February 1876 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 27 September 1981 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Opapa 14 September 1913 to 12 June 1997 Te Nahu 1912–1913 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Opapa (or Te Aute) railway station is a preserved station on the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line in New Zealand's North Island that closed in 1981. It is in the Hastings District of Hawke's Bay, 23.56 km (14.64 mi) south of Hastings city, in a census meshblock with a population of only 222 in 2018.
Te Aute is unusual in three respects:
- It is one of less than 40 wooden stations remaining on their original sites.
- In 1898 it was one of only 18 stations with a refreshment room.
- An official name change restored its original name of Te Aute, after being known as Opapa from 14 September 1913 to 12 June 1997.
Nearby the railway climbs a steep bank and there is a radio mast, an old shop and a lake.