Akitio Webcam 

A walk of a life time, and that is right!!!
I  took my seat on one of many buses that transported 1500 walkers on the Woodville Lions Club 16th Annual
" Manawatu Gorge Track & Tunnel Walk" on Sunday 9th May 2010.

Just before the bus left we were told....... This is the only LIVE Track in New Zealand that allows the public to "Walk The Line" 

The Manawatu Gorge deep in history, a unique geological formation in that it separates two mountain ranges, the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges. It is the pathway for the only river in the world that has it's source on one side of a mountain range and goes to sea on the other.

The road was built between 1871 & 1872 and was little more than a bridle track, with at the Woodville end a cage that travellers were carried, suspended on a wire rope 25 metres above the water and at the Ashurst end  was a  ferry crossing . In 1875 toll bridges were built at each end these were abolished in 1912.

Constuction of the railway line began in 1886 and was completed in 1891, providing the most important link between East and West coasts, there after in 1955 the Rimutaka Tunnel was opened.

Four flying foxes were erected to ferry workers over the river to work on the rail line. The first train journey was on the 9th March 1891, the train consisted of two R class Single Fairlie steam Locomotives pulling 18 carriages with 1500 passengers.

Today the track has a daily milk train that travels between Oringi and Hawera and freight from Napier to Palmerston North.

I walked 9 km's, with my backpack equipped with head light tourch, hand tourch, warm clothing and my barley sugars, from the Lime Works at the Woodville end to the Ashurst Domain stepping on just about every sleeper on the way.

If you have not done this amazing walk, I recommend that you do. I Did,  " I Walked the Line"

Article Karen Blair,
Photos Hayley Robson & Karen Blair