The first express train service between Auckland and Rotorua began on 8 December 1894. The train ran once a week from Rotorua on Mondays at 9am, and on Tuesdays at 8am from Auckland. The trip took approximately 8 hours 40 minutes.
The train was hauled by a J class 2-6-0 engines and L class 2-4-0 tank engines with 44ft wooden roof carriages.
 |
| Arrival of First Train to Rotorua - 8.12.1894 - Arawa J-Class Locomotive, photographer unknown, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (OP-1090) |
 |
| Rotorua Railway Station and Staff. Photographer unknown. Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (OP-834) |
The service became a daily service in October 1902. This period also saw the introduction of a Baldwin Q class 4-6-2d and N class 2-5-2s.
In December 1903, new 44 foot dining cars were introduced on the service between Auckland and Putaruru (Mahoney). These were the first dining cars catered by the Railways Department instead of by private contractors. The dining car service was withdrawn in 1917 due to wartime conditions (Churchman & Hurst).
 |
| Q Class loco, built by Baldwin. New Zealand Railway Publicity. Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa (CP-3137) |
Around 1910, A class 4-6-2 engines were introduced, which saw more engine power. Four years later the speed limit was raised to 45 mph, which saw the journey take approximately 7 hours. During and after World War I there were cutbacks, and at one point the train combined with the Thames Express at Morrinsville (Mahoney, 1982).
In June 1919, all provincial expresses were cancelled due a coal shortage, but in December the Express was back operating (Churchman & Hurst, 2001). Another significant change in engine power was the introduction of the AB class 4-6-2s in the early 1920s. These engines would cut the journey time down to 6 hours and 40 minutes.
The service was renamed the 'Rotorua Limited' in May 1930. The 1930s saw the introduction of luxurious-steel-panelled cars that were specifically built for the service. An observation car was added at the rear of the train, and the journey time was further reduced to six hours. (Mahoney, 1982).
 |
| 'The Rotorua Limited' [brochure]. Publicity Branch, New Zealand Railways. Courtesy of Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa |
 |
| 'The Rotorua Limited' [brochure]. Publicity Branch, New Zealand Railways. Courtesy of Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa |
In 1951, further cuts reduced the trains to two per week. By this time there were as many as five or six buses running per day with the trip taking only a little over five hours (Mahoney, 1982). The train couldn't compete with bus services and passenger numbers continued to decline. The Rotorua Express run for the final time on 6 February 1958. It was replaced by a railcar service using 88-seater diesel railcars, which ran every day except Sunday. This service was discontinued on November 11 1968.
It was announced in 1988 that the site of the Travel Centre including the Rotorua Station was to be redeveloped, and the yard was lifted during the following year. A new freight yard was developed near Koutu.
In December 1991, the Geyserland Express, a new railcar service to Rotorua was reinstated. Initially there were two services each way daily, but in April 1995 the afternoon service was reduced to Friday and Sunday only, and in November 1996 the service closed.
This blog post was written by Graeme.
References
Churchman, G. B. & Hurst, T. (2001). The railways of New Zealand. 2nd ed. Transpress New Zealand.
Mahoney, J. D. (1982). Kings of the iron road: steam passenger trains of New Zealand. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.
