Manawatu rail: Racecourse Traditional Cache

Welcome aboard the Awapuni Racecourse private branch service! End of the line! Last stop Awa Puni.

Early in 1903 the Manawatu Racing Club purchased one hundred acres at Awapuni, and in January of 1904 the venue, including grandstands with dining halls and kitchens underneath, track, stables and tree plantings were all ready for the summer events. They soon noticed up to 150 people getting off at Awa Puni station to walk to the races and a branch line into the racecourse was proposed. In September that same year they agreed to spend £5,700 to bring in a rail line from Awa Puni Station, across Awapuni Lake and the Mangaone Stream, stopping near the course's main entrance. The line and a small station building were completed and ready just a few days before the Boxing Day races. A small rail loop was included to allow engines to uncouple from the cars and re-couple on the other end for the return journey.

The rail line was run and operated by NZ Railways, initially as a direct service from Palmerston, with the ticket fare including the entry fee into the racecourse. However it wasn't long before a scheduled stop was made at Awa Puni Station to allow passengers to transfer to the Foxton or Wellington excursion trains. Later a service to Woodville was added to connect to Wairarapa trains. On race day there could be as many as nine trains running from Palmerston to Awapuni Racecourse Station and back!

The similarity in name to Awapuni Station resulted in some variance as to the racecourse station name. Excursion timetables would list the station as "Awapuni Racecourse", and Awapuni Station would be temporarily renamed to "Awapuni Junction". However timetables listed in the newspapers gave the name simply as "Racecourse", and it appears that that is what most people knew it as. It might have helped if there had been a name on the station building. But there wasn't.

Apparently the line did not make much of a profit and this suggests why the line was pulled out so early. In the late 1930s private vehicles were cheap enough that many people had them, and perhaps they chose to take the car, rather than use public transport. When the line was removed the rail route became Te Wanaka Road and Grand Oaks Drive. Te Wanaka Road was used as a quick back door entry to the course for motorists from Foxton and Levin. Awapuni Lake (sometimes called Awapuni Lagoon) has since been drained, although some remnants remain. The rail bridge over the Mangaone Stream has been removed, although some piles remain and can be seen in the stream here at the cache.

Crossing Awapuni Lagoon on the way to the races, 1918

Racecourse Station, with train cars beyond the fence.
The racecourse is off the photo to the right.

Rail route.