It's the last stop, the terminus of the rail line that Auckland Transport seems reluctant to electrify, in the district that the super city was desparate to devour yet curiously keen to neglect. Pukekohe station is having a makeover.
Work has been proceding to expand and improve the area around the station. Plans are afoot for a flash new glass and steel structure to shelter commuters waiting for the sparse train connections, but that is likely to be at the expense of the century-old existing station.
Pukekohe's railway station has played a vital part in the development of the district; it has important architechtural connections, is one of few remaining examples of its kind, and many locals would like to see it saved. With the rapid growth of the area in recent years there's a case for preserving reminders of our past, believes Christine Madsen, of Franklin Heritage Forum.
The Forum is a networking group of museums and historical societies around the old Franklin district. They helped with the Pukekohe Heritage Survey and also earlier with the Franklin District Council Heritage Strategy suggesting buildings to be listed for preservation.
The station, however, was missing from the list. Christine has been lobbying on behalf of the station, but feels she's been shunted aside. The station has become enmeshed in a 'pass the parcel' debate; Auckland Transport(AT) leases the building but KiwiRail owns it. “KiwiRail is aware of local interest in the building, and it is currently in discussions with interested parties. However, the efficient use of Pukekohe as a station will be the primary determinant of the future of the building” reads an official statement from the national transport operator.
In an email to Christine, AT states “It has been agreed to relocate the building and investigation into relocation works are underway. Unfortunately, at this stage no further details are available”. Replying to an appeal for help, Auckland councillor and deputy mayor Bill Cashmore points out “this is KiwiRail property and council can only lobby”.
If the station is to be relocated, the Forum would like to know where. “We can't get a firm answer from anyone,” Christine says. “But our preferred option would be to reinstate its heritage status and for it to remain where it is.”
The Forum reckons there are good reasons for restoring the old building in situ. Built after local MP William Massey advocated strongly for a replacement to the previous station, it became a reality following his election as Premier in 1912. As the main trunk line pushed through the North Island it revolutionised travel and freight movement and town centres relocated round the railhead, as was the case with Pukekohe and Tuakau.
So highly was rail valued at the time that much effort was put into designing stations that were both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Pukekohe's was one of a series designed by architect George Troup, whose crowning achievement in railway architecture is the magnificent Dunedin station.
Pukekohe’s significance rests on its rarity as one of the few surviving island-platform stations on the North Island main trunk. It is an example of a classic provincial station and retains a high level of integrity, despite changes over the years.
The station once accommodated news-stands, a refreshment room, porters' room, parcel and luggage room, station master's office, and a ladies' waiting room complete with fireplace. Kauri floorboards, tongue and groove wall and ceiling linings, moulded architraves and skirting boards, timber ceiling roses and a ticketing hatch are original features still in existence.
In the heyday of rail it would have been a bustling scene, with greetings and farewells, eagerly awaited packages arriving and locally grown produce steaming off to markets. The town owed its prosperity in no small measure to the railway.
“Trains were the arteries and veins which carried away and brought goods of all description into our town, even ice cream in insulated green canvas bags,” recalled a former resident.
The railway was an essential conduit for freight and passengers between the productive farming hinterland and city markets. For many years from 1927, extra staff were taken on annually to handle rail traffic generated during the potato season.
During the world wars the station saw troops off, some never to return, while others arrived. As an eight year old in 1945 Brien Golding remembers the sight of American troops pouring off the train and marching through town. Locally grown vegetables, processed at the dehydration factory located where The Warehouse now stands, were shipped out through the station making a massive contribution to the war effort.
After World War II, improved roads and motor transport heralded the decline of the railways, with deregulation and the burgeoning of private cars in subsequent years seemingly moving much of the country's traffic on to Auckland's motorways instead. The station serves as an active reminder of the focal point for a once thriving and active meeting place and commercial centre.
Standing on the same site since 1913, Pukekohe Station is one of the town's more important historic buildings, believes the Heritage Forum. While acknowledging the need for considerable repair and restoration, they suggest the station could become an attraction in its own right like other stations that have dodged the wrecker's ball.
“Travel along the southern line and you'll pass restored stations like Remuera, Papatoetoe and Parnell. Out west, Swanson and Glen Eden stations have been turned into cafes while still functioning as railway stations,” says Christine.
“Astoundingly for a town of over 30,000, Pukekohe has no museum. The station would make an ideal museum, a perfect place to celebrate the district's heritage in a building which encapsulates so much of our history. Young people today are more interested in learning about our past than our generation was.
“We need to preserve our heritage as the area grows. If we don't do it now, it will be lost for ever.”
