This is a small cache located on the Old Railway Road
Here is a short history of the railway
The Kaipara-Riverhead Railway was built to link the eastern
Waitemata Harbour at Riverhead with the western Kaipara Harbour at
Helensville South, to provide more convenient access between the
northern districts and Auckland and to improve export prospects for
the timber industry in the Kaipara area. The first sod was turned
on 31 August 1871 by the Auckland Provincial Council, but at the
start of 1872 the
national government took over the job. The railway was only 25 km
long, and specific delays with acquiring rails and the general
difficulties associated with the relative isolation of the time
meant that construction dragged on for a few years. On 29 October
1875, it finally opened.
The section had no intermediate stations, and operated for
slightly less than six years. Construction of the North Auckland
Line was proceeding steadily, and on 13 July 1881 it reached Kumeu
from Auckland. The Kumeu-Riverhead section became the Riverhead
branch, but it did not last even a week. Between Kumeu and Auckland
the North Auckland Line was far superior to shipping, so the
Riverhead branch closed on 18 July 1881.