The New Zealand railway network consists of four main lines, six secondary lines and numerous short branch lines in almost every region of New Zealand. It links all major New Zealand urban centres, with the notable exception of Nelson. The network is currently owned by New Zealand Railways Corporation, a government agency trading as Ontrack. New Zealand's railway network was constructed initially by Provincial and later central government bodies (usually the Public Works Department) of New Zealand from 1863 onwards. In 1993 the network was privatised, along with New Zealand Rail Limited, with the Railways Corporation retaining the land (due to particular Treaty of Waitangi claims on land taken for railway construction). In 2003 the network was renationalised by the New Zealand government. Toll Rail continues to operate all freight and most passenger services on the network. Veolia Transport operates suburban passenger trains in Auckland and Taieri Gorge Railway operates tourist passenger trains in Dunedin. A branch line is a relatively minor railway line which branches off a more important through route. ... A view of Nelson from the Centre of New Zealand Whakatu/Nelson stands on the southern corner of Tasman Bay in Te Tau Ihu O Te Waka O Maui (the northern end of the South Island), Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is the administrative centre for Nelson Province. ... The New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC), trading as ONTRACK, is a State-Owned Enterprise charged with owning and maintaining New Zealands rail infrastructure. ... (For the current top-level subdivision of New Zealand, see Regions of New Zealand) Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876. ... The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished in the 1980s, when its assets were privatised as Works Infrastructure. ... The Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (Māori: Te Tiriti o Waitangi) was signed on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. ... Toll Rail, commonly Toll, is the only long-haul railway operator in New Zealand. ...

New Zealand national rail network

Main Trunk Lines

• North Island Main Trunk Railway
• East Coast Main Trunk Railway (freight only)
• Main North Line
• Main South Line (freight only, except Christchurch-Rolleston) (formerly including Ferrymead Railway)

The latter two lines are often referred to as the South Island Main Trunk Railway The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ... The Main North Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is an important railway line in New Zealand that runs north from Christchurch up the east coast of the South Island to Picton. ... The Main South Line is half of the South Island Main Trunk Railway in New Zealand and runs south from Lyttelton through Christchurch and down the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin. ... Introduction The Ferrymead Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway built upon the formation of New Zealands first public railway, the line from Ferrymead to Christchurch, which opened in 1863. ... The South Island Main Trunk Railway runs down the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, from Picton to Bluff. ...

Secondary Main Lines

• Marton - New Plymouth Line (freight only)
• Midland Line
• North Auckland Line (freight only beyond Waitakere)
• Palmerston North - Gisborne Line (freight only)
• Stillwater - Westport Line (freight only)
• Stratford - Okahukura Line (freight only)
• Wairarapa Line (freight only north of Masterton) (formerly including Rimutaka Incline)

Marton is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealands North Island. ... New Plymouth is the port and main city in the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Midland line is a famous 212 km section of railway between Christchurch (Rolleston) and Greymouth in New Zealand. ... The North Auckland Line is a major railway line in New Zealands national rail network. ... Waitakere Train Station is located on the Western Line of the Auckland Railway Network. ... Palmerston North is a city in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... For other uses of Gisborne see Gisborne (disambiguation). ... The Stillwater - Westport Line (SWL) is a secondary main line that forms part of New Zealands national rail network. ... Stratfords view of Mount Taranaki (facing west). ... The Wairarapa line is a section of secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the Wairarapa region. ... The Rimutaka Incline was a 3-mile (5-km) stretch of steeply-graded line between Summit and Cross Creek on the original Wairarapa railway line between Wellington and Masterton in New Zealand. ...

Branch lines

Northland

• Dargaville Branch (freight only)
• Donnellys Crossing Section (closed)
• Kumeu-Riverhead Section (closed)
• Okaihau Branch (closed)
• Onerahi Branch (closed)
• Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (Kawakawa-Opua, formerly North Auckland Line - closed; tracks remain in place but are presently unused)

The Northland Region, one of the regions of New Zealand, is, as the name suggests, the northernmost of New Zealands administrative regions. ... The Dargaville Branch is a branch line railway that leaves the North Auckland Line not far south of Whangarei and runs westward to Dargaville. ... The Kumeu-Riverhead section was a short-lived railway line located north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. ... The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely as the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined with the national rail network of New Zealand at the northern terminus of the North Auckland Line in Otiria. ... The Onerahi Branch, sometimes known as the Grahamstown Railway, was a branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand. ... The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (sometimes erroneously called the Opua Branch, once the Otiria-Opua Industrial Line) is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand between Kawakawa and the Bay of Islands township of Opua. ...

Auckland

• Auckland-Newmarket Line
• Mission Bush Branch (freight only)
• Onehunga Branch (freight only, mothballed between Mays Road and Onehunga Wharf)
• Waiuku Branch (operated by the Glenbrook Vintage Railway)

Auckland Region is a local government region in New Zealand. ... The Auckland - Newmarket Line, sometimes called the Newmarket Branch, is the railway line in Auckland, New Zealand. ... The Onehunga Branch opened in Auckland, New Zealand in 1873. ... Waiuku from space Waiuku is a small country town in the Franklin district, in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Waikato / Coromandel

• Cambridge Branch (freight only, terminates at Hautapu, closed and lifted between Hautapu and Cambridge)
• Glen Afton Branch (closed, partially remains as the Bush Tramway Club's Pukemiro Line)
• Thames Branch (closed, lifted between Waitoa and Thames)
• Waitoa Industrial Line (freight only)
• Wilton Colleries Line (closed)

Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Coromandel can refer to several places: For the town and peninsula in New Zealand, see Coromandel, New Zealand and Coromandel Peninsula For the southeastern Indian coastline, see Coromandel Coast For the city in Minas Gerais, Brazil, see Coromandel (Minas Gerais) Coromandel, Mauritius is a community in Mauritius This is a... Cambridge is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealands North Island. ...

Bay of Plenty

• Kinleith Branch (freight only)
• Mount Maunganui Branch (freight only)
• Murupara Branch (freight only)
• Rotorua Branch (mothballed)
• Taneatua Branch (mothballed)
• Whakatane Industrial Line (mothballed)

The Bay of Plenty, often abbreviated to BoP, is a region of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name. ... Mount Maunganui is a town located on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga in New Zealands North Island. ... The town of Murupara is located in an isolated part of the North Island of New Zealand, between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera National Park, on the banks of the Rangitaiki River 65 kilometres southeast of Rotorua. ... Rotorua is a city located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

East Cape / Hawke's Bay

• Ahuriri Branch (freight only)
• Moutuhora Branch (closed)
• Ngatapa Branch (closed)

East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ...

Central North Island

• Raetihi Branch (closed)

The Raetihi Branch was a branch line railway in the central North Island of New Zealand. ...

Taranaki

• Castlecliff Branch (mothballed, see note)
• Kapuni Branch (ex Opunake Branch; freight only)
• Opunake Branch (part closed; remainder as Kapuni Branch)
• Waitara Branch (operated by the Waitara Rail Preservation Society)
• Wanganui Branch (freight only)

Note: As of 5 September 2006, ONTRACK issued a bulletin that the Castlecliff Branch is closed to all traffic. However, it has not been formally closed as this requires written permission from the appropriate government minister. The track is still in place, with a sleeper placed across the track at the start of the branch to prohibit access. View of Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont from Stratford, facing west. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The name of Waitara is in the New Zealand Maori language and the settlements in Australia were named from the township of Waitara, New Zealand. ... Wanganui is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC), trading as ONTRACK, is a State-Owned Enterprise charged with owning and maintaining New Zealands rail infrastructure. ...

Manawatu

• Foxton Branch (closed)
• Taonui Branch (closed)

Manawatu is a district in the Manawatu-Wanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. ... The Taonui Branch was a minor railway line in New Zealands national network. ...

Wairarapa

• Greytown Branch (closed)

The Wairarapa is a district or subregion of New Zealand occupying the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of Wellington and south-west of Hawke Bay. ... There is also a Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal (in South Africa). ...

Wellington

• Gracefield Branch (freight only)
• Johnsonville Branch (ex NIMT; passenger only)
• Melling Branch (ex Wairarapa Line; passenger only)
• Te Aro Branch (closed)

Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke in Māori) is the capital of New Zealand, the countrys second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. ...

Nelson

• Nelson Section (isolated, closed)

A view of Nelson from the Centre of New Zealand Whakatu/Nelson stands on the southern corner of Tasman Bay in Te Tau Ihu O Te Waka O Maui (the northern end of the South Island), Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is the administrative centre for Nelson Province. ...

Westland

• Blackball Branch (closed)
• Cape Foulwind Branch (closed)
• Conns Creek Branch (closed)
• Hokitika Branch (ex Ross Branch; freight only)
• Ngakawau Branch (ex Seddonville Branch; freight only)
• Rapahoe Branch (freight only)
• Rewanui Branch (closed)
• Ross Branch (part closed; remainder as Hokitika Branch)
• Seddonville Branch (part closed; remainder as Ngakawau Branch)

The West Coast is one of the Administrative Regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ... The Blackball Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... Cape Foulwind is a prominent headland on the West Coast of New Zealands South Island, overlooking the Tasman Sea. ... The Ross Branch, now known as the Hokitika Branch, is a branch line railway that forms part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Rapahoe Branch is a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network and was located on the West Coast of the South Island. ... The Ross Branch, now known as the Hokitika Branch, is a branch line railway that forms part of New Zealands national rail network. ...

Canterbury

• Eyreton Branch (closed)
• Fairlie Branch (closed; site of Pleasant Point Museum and Railway)
• Hornby Industrial Line (ex Southbridge Branch; freight only)
• Little River Branch (closed; site of Little River Rail Trail)
• Methven Branch (closed)
• Mount Somers (or Springburn) Branch (closed; site of Plains Vintage Railway)
• Oxford Branch (closed)
• Southbridge Branch (part closed; remainder as Hornby Industrial Line)
• Waiau Branch (closed; site of Weka Pass Railway)
• Waimate Branch (closed)
• Waimate Gorge Branch (closed; see Waimate Branch for line details)
• Whitecliffs Branch (closed)

The New Zealand region of Canterbury mostly comprises the Canterbury Plains. ... The Eyreton Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Fairlie Branch (also known as the Eversley Branch) was a branch line railway in southern Canterbury that formed part of New Zealands national railway network. ... The Pleasant Point Museum and Railway is a heritage railway located in the small country town of Pleasant Point in southern Canterbury, New Zealand, inland from Timaru. ... The Little River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Little River Rail Trail is a cycling and walking track established near Little River on the Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island. ... The Methven Branch was a branch line railway that was part of New Zealands national rail network in Canterbury. ... The Mount Somers Branch, sometimes known as the Springburn Branch, was a branch line railway in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand. ... The Plains Vintage Railway is a heritage railway near Ashburton, New Zealand that operates on three kilometres of trackage that was once part of the Mount Somers Branch before it closed. ... The Oxford Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Southbridge Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Waiau Branch was a branch line railway in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island. ... Introduction The Weka Pass Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway based in Waipara, North Canterbury. ... The Waimate Branch was a railway line built in south Canterbury, New Zealand to the major rural town of Waimate. ... The Waimate Branch was a railway line built in south Canterbury, New Zealand to the major rural town of Waimate. ... The Whitecliffs Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network in the Canterbury region of the South Island. ...

Otago / Southland

• Balfour Branch (closed; part of former Waimea Plains Railway)
• Bluff Branch (freight only)
• Browns Branch (closed; part of former Hedgehope Branch)
• Catlins River Branch (closed)
• Dunback Branch (closed)
• Fernhill Branch (closed)
• Hedgehope Branch (closed)
• Kingston Branch (closed; site of Kingston Flyer Ltd)
• Kurow Branch (closed)
• Makareao Branch (closed; part of former Dunback Branch)
• Moeraki Branch (closed)
• Mossburn Branch (closed)
• Ngapara Branch (closed)
• Otago Central Railway (closed beyond Middlemarch; remainder as Taieri Gorge Railway and Taieri Branch. Site of Otago Central Rail Trail)
• Outram Branch (closed)
• Port Chalmers Branch (freight only)
• Riverton Branch (closed; part of former Tuatapere Branch)
• Roxburgh Branch (closed)
• Shag Point Branch (closed)
• Taieri Branch (access to Taieri Gorge Railway)
• Tapanui Branch (closed)
• Tokanui (or Seaward Bush) Branch (closed)
• Tokarahi Branch (closed)
• Tuatapere Branch (closed)
• Waikaia Branch (closed)
• Waikaka Branch (closed)
• Waimea Plains Railway (closed; site of Croydon Aircraft Museum)
• Wairio Branch (freight only)
• Walton Park Branch (closed)
• Wyndham Branch (closed)

Otago (help· info) is one of the regions of New Zealand and lies in the south-east of the South Island. ... Southland is the name of New Zealands southernmost region and is also the name of a district within that region. ... The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line (not a branch line) that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. ... The Bluff Branch is a railway line in Southland, New Zealand that links Invercargill with the port of Bluff. ... The Hedgehope Branch, also known as the Browns Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand that started life in the 1880s as a privately owned bush tramway. ... The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Dunback and Makareao Branches were two connected branch line railways that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Fernhill Branch is a railway line in Otago, New Zealand. ... The Hedgehope Branch, also known as the Browns Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand that started life in the 1880s as a privately owned bush tramway. ... The Kingston Branch was a major branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train operating in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Location of Kurow Kurow is a town in the Waitaki Valley in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Dunback and Makareao Branches were two connected branch line railways that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Moeraki Branch was one of the most short-lived railway lines in New Zealand. ... The Mossburn Branch was a branch line railway in New Zealand from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch to the town of Mossburn in western Southland. ... The Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches were two connected branch lines in northern Otago, New Zealand that formed part of the national railway system. ... The Otago Central Railway or Otago Central Branch Railway was a secondary railway line in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Taieri Gorge Railway is a railway based at Dunedin Railway Station in the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Outram Branch was a branch line railway near Dunedin, Otago that operated from 1877 to 1953 as part of New Zealands national rail network. ... The Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the regions major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers. ... Riverton is a small town at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... Roxburgh is a small New Zealand town on the banks of the Clutha River, 40 km south of Alexandra in the South Island. ... The Shag Point Branch was a short branch off the Main South Line on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Tapanui Branch was a railway line located near the border of the regions of Southland and Otago, New Zealand. ... The Tokanui Branch, also known as the Seaward Bush Branch, was a railway line located in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches were two connected branch lines in northern Otago, New Zealand that formed part of the national railway system. ... The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Waikaia Branch, also known as the Switzers Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Waikaka Branch was a railway line that ran through agricultural and gold-mining country in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line (not a branch line) that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. ... The Wairio Branch is a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Walton Park Branch was located in Otago, New Zealand and operated from 1874 until 1957, except for the first section, which survived until 1980. ... The Wyndham Branch, also known as the Glenham Branch, was a railway line in Southland, New Zealand. ...

Private lines

Certain parts of the network were constructed by private companies, but most were unsuccessful. All were later acquired by the government. The most successful was the Wellington and Manawatu Railway, which operated between Wellington and Longburn (near Palmerston North) from 1885 to 1908. After the WMR, perhaps the best-known private railway was the New Zealand Midland Railway Company, which constructed parts of the Midland, Nelson and some West Coast lines. After the company was dissolved in 1900 the railway lines and their construction were taken over by the government. Some lines were also built by companies for access such as to coal mines, and by local government bodies. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) was a railway between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near the town of Palmerston North, in the Manawatu. ... The New Zealand Midland Railway Company was a private railway in New Zealand and partially constructed the Midland Line between Christchurch, Greymouth and Nelson in the South Island. ...

• Cape Foulwind Branch
• Castlecliff Branch
• Fernhill Branch
• Hutt Park Railway
• Kaitangata Line
• Kurow Branch (part)
• Methven Branch
• New Zealand Midland Railway Company Limited
• Ohai Railway Board
• Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited
• Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company
• Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company Limited
• Waimate Gorge Branch
• Waimea Plains Railway
• Whakatane Board Mills Line
• Wilton Colleries Line

The Fernhill Branch is a railway line in Otago, New Zealand. ... The Kaitangata Line was a branch line railway in Otago, New Zealand. ... The Methven Branch was a branch line railway that was part of New Zealands national rail network in Canterbury. ... The New Zealand Midland Railway Company was a private railway in New Zealand and partially constructed the Midland Line between Christchurch, Greymouth and Nelson in the South Island. ... The Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the regions major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers. ... The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) was a railway between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near the town of Palmerston North, in the Manawatu. ... The Waimate Branch was a railway line built in south Canterbury, New Zealand to the major rural town of Waimate. ...

Significant proposals

Many railway lines in New Zealand's history have been proposed but never constructed, especially in the 19th century, but some proposals have been particularly significant due to their extent, publicity, or how close they came to actually being realised (in some cases, track bed was built). Some significant proposals include: Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A track bed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. ...

• Branch line to Marsden Point
• Branch line to Taupo - an extension of either the Rotorua, Kinleith or Murupara lines
• Canterbury Interior Main Line
• Connection of the East Coast Main Trunk with the Palmerston North - Gisborne line
• Extension of the Nelson Section to the West Coast, and a line between Nelson and Blenheim
• Fairlie Branch - an extension 27km beyond Eversley
• Kakahi - Pukawa line
• Kurow Branch - an extension beyond Hakataramea
• Mossburn Branch - an extension to Te Anau
• Okaihau Branch - an extension to Rangiahua and ultimately to Kaitaia
• Opunake Branch - sub-branch from Kapuni to Manaia; extension to New Plymouth
• Otago Central Railway - an extension to Wanaka
• Paengaroa - Rotorua line
• Pokeno - Paeroa line
• Rotorua - Gisborne line via Te Teko
• Waimate Branch - an extension of the Waihao Downs line

The Onerahi Branch, sometimes known as the Grahamstown Railway, was a branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand. ... Taupo is a large urban area in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Canterbury Interior Main Line was a proposed railway line that would have linked many of the branch lines in the Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island. ... The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ... Kia Ora Welcome to Blenheim The Taylor River in central Blenheim Blenheim is a town in Marlborough, in the northeast of the South Island in New Zealand. ... The Fairlie Branch (also known as the Eversley Branch) was a branch line railway in southern Canterbury that formed part of New Zealands national railway network. ... The Kurow Branch (also known as the Hakataramea Branch) was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ... Hakataramea is a rural village located in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island. ... The Mossburn Branch was a branch line railway in New Zealand from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch to the town of Mossburn in western Southland. ... On Lake Te Anau Te Anau is a town in wide range of accommodation, with over 3000 beds available in summer. ... The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely as the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined with the national rail network of New Zealand at the northern terminus of the North Auckland Line in Otiria. ... Kapuni is a small petroleum field and drilling site in the North Island of New Zealand. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... New Plymouth is the port and main city in the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Otago Central Railway or Otago Central Branch Railway was a secondary railway line in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Wanaka is a town in the Central Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Waimate Branch was a railway line built in south Canterbury, New Zealand to the major rural town of Waimate. ...

Bush tramways

These refer to lines principally constructed to haul timber or minerals, often in isolated areas. A variety of gauges was used, including the NZ standard 1067 mm (3'6"). Typical bush trams were more lightly constructed than ordinary rail lines and had steeper gradients and sharper curves also. With the low speeds that were commonplace, rolling stock and locomotives were generally built to lighter standards than mainline vehicles. It was not uncommon for road vehicles to be adapted for use on the trams, either as haulage power or rolling stock. As road vehicles became more suited for these operations the trams gradually faded away and none are now operating.

Prominent examples of tramways include the Manawatu County Council's Sanson Tramway that connected with the Foxton Branch, and the Taupo Totara Timber Company's line between Putaruru and Mokai. The Sanson Tramway was a tramway in the Manawatu region of New Zealand that operated from 1885 until 1945. ... The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. ...

Street tramways

Major street tramway networks were constructed in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, with smaller operations in Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Gisborne, Wanganui and Invercargill. Employing horse, steam or electric power, they operated in most cases until the 1950s when improved buses saw most of the tracks scrapped. Currently, Christchurch is the only city with an urban tram operation, which was constructed from scratch in the late 1990s as a tourism venture. The Auckland Metropolitan Area, or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... Alternative meanings at Wellington (disambiguation) A view of Wellington from the top of Mount Victoria. ... For other uses, see Christchurch (disambiguation). ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, located in coastal Otago. ... Napier is an important port city in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. ... A view of Nelson from the Centre of New Zealand Whakatu/Nelson stands on the southern corner of Tasman Bay in Te Tau Ihu O Te Waka O Maui (the northern end of the South Island), Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is the administrative centre for Nelson Province. ... Invercargill is the southern-most and western-most city in New Zealand, and one of the southern-most settlements in the world. ...

Heritage railways

A large number of societies have set up around New Zealand to operate working heritage railway lines and museums. Most of these are run by largely or wholly volunteer labour, except the Taieri Gorge Railway in Dunedin, which employs paid staff. // Members of the Federation of Rail Organisations New Zealand Northland Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Charitable Trust Whangarei Steam & Model Railway Club Auckland Glenbrook Vintage Railway Railway Enthusiasts Society The Waitakere Tramline Society Watercare Services Western Springs Railway Western Springs Tramway Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway Waikato / Coromandel Bush Tramway Club... The Taieri Gorge Railway is a railway based at Dunedin Railway Station in the South Island of New Zealand. ...