Following the passing of the District Railways Act 1877, planning began for a new railway from Morrisville (the terminus of the existing railway network) to Rotorua.
With little interest shown by the government, the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company was formed to build the line, and began surveys in 1881.
Construction started within 12 months, and the company completed the line as far as Tirau by 1886. The grand opening at Tirau on 8 March was the last function for this pioneering company though, as the project was then taken over by the government.
Slow progress from then meant the line was not opened to Rotorua until 1893.
Two significant structures designed by the company chief engineer James Stewart still survive, both brick arch water towers, one here in Tirau, one in Lichfield.
The railway tower at Tirau holds a Historic Places Category II rating, and is much more robust than the typical wooden water vat constructed by the government at the time, showing the confidence being exhibited by this company in their long term future.
Enjoy viewing this piece of history, note the small riser pipe on the town side bringing the water in, and the large diameter standpipe outlet on the train side, ready to fill the next steamer passing by. With dieselisation of the railways in the mid 1960’s this tank has been unused for some 50 years now, and we must be grateful to those who have ensured it still stands for our viewing.
Do be careful with your search though, by its nature this structure must be very close to the railway, and these tracks are busy now with traffic from and to the mill at Kinleith. You do not need to go on or near the railway to find this cache, keep on the town side of the structure during your hunt, but as the track is not fenced DO KEEP YOUR CHILDREN VERY CLOSE.
You are looking for a 400ml Sistema box, painted brown.
Logging Recommendations
This cache, (like most of Radionut50’s hides) is NOT meant to be hard to find – so logs saying ‘easy find’ are pretty meaningless. The reason for this hide is to introduce you to this piece of our country’s great history , so logs commenting on your experience are very welcome. You are also invited to crack the hint as you arrive, to reduce the chance of a prolonged search compromising the hide in this very public place.