PUKERANGI

Pukerangi is a very small railway station in the middle of nowhere (on first appearance it seems that way). This is where the Taieri Gorge Railway's daily year-round trip from Dunedin ends (on Fridays and Sundays from October to April a second departure takes you right to Middlemarch - rail & trail head - please check time table for more information). At Pukerangi you have toilet facilities and water for your drink bottle. At Middlemarch full services are available.

You can bring your bike on the train and cycle the 21 km from Pukerangi to Middlemarch, enjoying the stunning scenery and tranquility and see many things of historic interest on the way. We also propose an alternative route to Middlemarch once you reach SH87 (see map below). This route adds 6,8 km to the trip and is a great way to explore the area.

.Pukerangi – Middlemarch map indicating alternative cycle route and sights.
. Click here to see larger map (64 KB - will open in new window)

DISTANCES AND ROAD CONDITIONS FROM PUKERANGI TO MIDDLEMARCH

Direct

First 2 km: No seal (Pukerangi Rd)
Next 5,8 km: Sealed (Pukerangi Rd)
Next 4,6 km: No seal (Pukerangi Rd)
You are now at the junction of Pukerangi Rd and SH87. Turn right (north)
Last 8,5 km to Middlemarch along SH87: Sealed. At Mold St (middle of township - look for sign to Blind Billy's) turn right. Cross railway and carry on the remaining 600 m to the Camp manager's residence (Blind Billy's).
Total distance: 21,5 km

Alternative Route (see map above)

At junction with SH87, turn right and proceed along same route as above for 1,8 km.
Turn right into Mt Ross Rd. From here the road is unsealed for the next 9 km. As the road veers right you pass Garthmyl Rd on your left. Carry on and cross the Taieri River on the 125-year old Sutton suspension bridge. At intersection with Murrays Rd turn left (north). Travel past Longford Rd and stone sheep yards till you reach Mt Stoker Rd. You are now on 5,5 km of sealed road for the remainder journey, first Mt Stoker Rd, then Moonlight Rd. Note Smooth Cone with the lone pine on top (planted Armistice Day 1918 to celebrate end of WW1) and ruins of old stone cottage below. Further along on your right is Cottesbrook's magnificent stone woolshed (one of the oldest farms in the area). You cross the Taieri River again. Then take the first road on your left, Cemetery Rd, then right into Mold St (no street sign) to Blind Billy's Holiday Camp. Total distance: 28,5 km.

These back-country gravel and sealed roads are in excellent condition and see very little traffic. However, do watch for unexpected vehicles.

Note: Fill your drink bottle at Pukerangi Station as you will find no water along this journey. There are toilets at Pukerangi Station. There is no cell phone reception along Pukerangi Rd. In summer, use sun block and wear hat as the sun can be very fierce.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PUKERANGI AREA

Pukerangi Station was opened in 1891. The station was first known as Barewood, the name of the very first run (large farm holding) taken up in the 1850s and so named because of the lack of firewood in the area. The name was changed to Pukerangi in 1912 and the original station building was very much as it is today.

The wider Barewood - Pukerangi area was a community in its own right in earlier days due to gold mining activities and farming requiring more manual labour. Community facilities included a school and a post office (1906 to 1966). In 1912 a telephone booth was installed and a ladies waiting room at Pukerangi Station in 1912. During WW1, a training camp for the Mounted Rifles operated at Matarae between SH87 and what was Matarae station. A small railway shed remains at the siding, referred to as "Camp Siding." In earlier times stories abound of disorderly behaviour on trains conveying troops and of the trouble officers had controlling their men in the rocky terrain affording ready hiding places.This siding became a tablet "switch out" in 1930 and was closed in 1960.

Two Maori rock shelters of archaeological interest exist near Camp Siding, where moa remains (information about Moa and Maori pre-European society) and flake tools (a piece of stone that has been removed from a larger stone core and then used as a tool, for example a knife) have been found.

Gradually the population declined and so the importance of the railway. In 1986, Pukerangi station was finally closed to freight traffic. However, since the inception of the scenic tourist train, the station has been a terminus for the Taieri Gorge Railway except Fridays and Sundays in summer, when the train goes right to the end of the line in Middlemarch.

The Otago Central Railway branched from the South Island Main Trunk Line at Wingatui station south of Dunedin (you can still board the train at Wingatui Station) and ran through Middlemarch, Ranfurly, Omakau and Alexandra to Cromwell, 235 km away. It was built primarily to transport agricultural and pastoral produce from Otago's hinterland into Dunedin. The first section was opened in 1889 and Middlemarch was reached in 1891, Ranfurly in 1898, Omakau in 1904, Alexandra in 1906 and Clyde in 1907. The line finally reached Cromwell in 1921. The Cromwell to Clyde section was closed in 1980 and the Clyde to Middlemarch section in 1990. The Taieri Gorge Railway web site has many historical details and information for train buffs.

» A great book that tells the story of the Otago Central Railway is Over the Garden Wall by J. A. Dangerfield and G. W. Emerson, published 1995 by The Otago Railway & Locomotive Society, P.O. Box 1297, Dunedin, and available from their web site (along with other interesting train books, e.g. Hyde Railway Accident 1943), bookshops and the Dunedin railway Station.

» Another interesting book explains the mining exploits in the Pukerangi area: Gold, Quartz and Cyanide: The story of the Barewood Reef by John Ingram, published 1980 by Otago Heritage Books, 500 Great King St Dunedin, phone 03-477 1500.

Dave & Donna Thomson · Mold St · Middlemarch · Central Otago · New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 464 3355 · Fax: +64 3 464 3322 · Email: info@railtrail.co.nz

© 2005-2009 Rail Trail Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved        Last updated 18 January 2009