Wingatui
(34m above sea level)

From Wingatui Junction the Otago Central Railway heads North-west across the Taieri Plains. As we leave the main line, Wingatui Racecourse is on the right and 3 km beyond on the left is Taieri Aerodrome and the industrial estate. Panoramic views of the plain are revealed as the line climbs to Salisbury. Construction of the railway was commenced at Wingatui in June 1879.

North Taieri
(4.4 km from Wingatui, 59m above sea level)

Originally "North Taieri Tanks" this was an early site for watering steam locomotives. In 1998 a crossing loop was built to allow trains to pass each other.

Salisbury
(10.4 km from Wingatui, 148m above sea level)

Salisbury Tunnel (437m) is the longest on the line. There are soda springs near the tunnel mouth. The Salisbury Estate was originally owned by Donald Reid, whose name remains in the mercantile firm of Reid Farmers. The line now follows Mullock Gully to the Taieri River.

Wingatui Viaduct
(12.7 km from Wingatui)

This viaduct, 197m long and 47m above Mullock Stream is the largest structure on the line. It is still the largest wrought iron structure in New Zealand.

Construction of the viaduct in 1887. Spans are being jacked into position.

Parera
(16.3 km from Wingatui, 54m above sea level)

This was formerly a crossing station which closed in 1967 but the crossing loop was reinstated in 1991. The railway house, splendidly isolated, is now a holiday home. The railway continues to follow the Taieri River for the next 27 km. Parera is the Maori name for the grey duck.

Mount Allan
(21.1 km from Wingatui, 59m above sea level)

This station formerly served a sheep run which had no road access until 1970. After the homestead was ruined by the 1980 flood, the run was sold to Tasman Forestry and planted in pine trees.

Little Mount Allan
(23.5 km from Wingatui, 64m above sea level)

Steam trains stopped at the Wingatui end of the curved viaduct to take water from the big tanks there.

Christmas Creek
(25.3 km from Wingatui, 67m above sea level)

Here is another curved viaduct. This station served two large sheep runs, Lamb Hill and Silver Peaks. A miner discovered gold in the creek on Christmas Day, 1863.

Hindon
(26.8 km from Wingatui, 71 m above sea level)

This is still a crossing station. There were refreshment rooms here until 1949 when they burnt down. The first section of the Otago Central Railway was officially opened to here in October 1889, ten years after construction begun at Wingatui.
Station and refreshment room staff, 1908

Deep Stream
(30.9 km from Wingatui, 95m above sea level)

This was a halt frequented by picnickers to enjoy a day by the river or a climb in the hills. It is still a popular stop for passengers to walk the viaduct. About here the line begins to climb higher above the river to eventually emerge from the Gorge near Pukerangi.
Passengers waiting for the train home, Christmas holidays, 1941.

Flat Stream
(36.7 km from Wingatui, 191m above sea level)

On the slopes above the Halt a number of stone chimneys and some wild gooseberries mark the site of a construction workers' camp. This is worth a visit. Ahead are the Notches, where the line is carried across four deep gulches.

The Reefs
(42.1 km from Wingatui, 248m above sea level)

A passenger halt was opened here in 1906 to serve the Barewood Gold Mines which were some 2 km to the south.

Pukerangi
(45.0 km from Wingatui, 250m above sea level)

The name means "Hills of Heaven". The line has turned away from the Taieri River here but meets it again near the Sutton Creek combined road and rail bridge some 7 km north. Ahead is the Strath Taieri Plain which is bounded to the west by the Rock and Pillar range.

Lying at the edge of the Strath Taieri Plain the station building here is a much photographed landmark.

Middlemarch
(63.8 km from Wingatui, 201m above sea level)

Middlemarch station, February 1911. The mixed train is arriving from Dunedin

"March" is an old word meaning boundary, frontier or border and the town is the largest settlement on the Strath Taieri Plain. The line was opened to here in 1891 and what was a busy through station for a century became the new terminus of the railway when the line beyond was closed in 1990. With its station and goods shed intact it is a popular summer destination for Friday and Sunday Taieri Gorge Limited trains as well as "specials" for barbecue and barn dances trips.

Middlemarch station, February 1911. The mixed train is arriving from Dunedin.