| Te Akeake railway station | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Coordinates: | -35.3491°N 174.1081°W |
| Line: | Opua Branch |
| Platform: | Yes |
| Tracks: | Single line |
| Opened: | 1888 |
| Closed: | 1931 |
Te Akeake railway station,[1] is a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand.The station, sometimes named Teakeake,[2] opened after an application for a stopping place, 1.5miles from Taumarere, was made on 7 July 1888. About 1898, after an "application from natives", on 28 December 1893, a shelter shed and platform were built.[3] It closed on 14 August 1931[4] and remained closed, when the platform was moved[5] north from 3miles from Kawakawa, by about 900m (3,000feet).[6] The repositioned station reopened in December 2022 as a new terminal for the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (BoIVR).
An 1883 account described a station being built between the tunnel and the bridge over the Whangae River. It also said the banks were being washed away until stone facings were added to them.[7] From 14 August 1931 Te Akeake was replaced as a flag station by Whangae Bridge,[8] on the other side[9] of the 264feet, or 93yd[10] Opua Tunnel 14,[11] or Whangae Tunnel.[12] [13] Opua Tunnel was closed by a slip in 1936.[14] The station closed on 1 September 1963. For the Cycle Trail a steeply graded bypass has been built around the tunnel.
It was 2miles from the station it replaced, 1miles from Opua, 4miles from Taumarere and 51miles from Whangārei, had a shelter shed and was served by the Auckland–Opua Northland Express.[15]
In 1964 a man died when a locomotive took a corner too fast and toppled into the water, just south of the tunnel. A temporary siding was built to get the engines out of the creek.[16] The works were still in place in 2018.[17]
On Saturday 26 June 1999, near the same location, a Vintage Railway steam train from Opua to Kawakawa was derailed at low speed when the track spread. The safety report said track maintenance was inadequate.[18]
Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail opened along the rail line between Kawakawa and Ōpua in 2017.[19]
Taumarere (Long Bridge)-Te Ake Ake closed in 2021 to dig the rails out from under the trail, using $5.59m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund. Kawakawa-Ōpua is leased from KiwiRail by BoIVR, which sublet the Ōpua-Taumarere to Far North District Council for the cycle trail until it was ready to extend the railway. The Ōpua-Te Ake Ake section of the trail reopened on 26 December 2022. Cyclists and walkers can use a train for a gold coin donation. A cycle trail alongside the railway is planned, when the line is reopened to Opua.[20]