Okaihau is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island, just north of Kaikohe. State Highway 1 passes through the town. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings recorded Okaihau's population as 687, an increase of 7% or 45 people since the 1996 census.^[1] The Northland Region, one of the regions of New Zealand, is, as the name suggests, the northernmost of New Zealands administrative regions. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... Kaikohe is the central service area for the Far North District of New Zealand, about 260 km from Auckland, situated on State Highway 12 at 35°27′S 173°49′E. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. ... State Highway 1 State Highway 1 is the most significant single element of the New Zealand roading network State Highway 1 can be considered as a single highway running the length of both main islands, a total of 2027 km. ... The New Zealand government Department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. ...

On 29 October 1923, a branch line railway was opened to Okaihau from a junction with the North Auckland Line in Otiria. Work on an extension of the line beyond Okaihau to the Hokianga Harbour and Kaitaia proceeded slowly, and in 1936, the line was essentially complete to Rangiahua. However, it was decided that construction beyond Rangiahua would be excessively expensive and the steep section from Okaihau to Rangiahua was seen as unnecessary and accordingly removed. The railway line thus became known as the Okaihau Branch and Okaihau became New Zealand's northernmost railway terminus. October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A branch line is a relatively minor railway line which branches off a more important through route. ... The North Auckland Line is a major railway line in New Zealands national rail network. ... The Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River or more frequently simply as The Hokianga is a long estuarial drowned valley and its surrounding area on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Kaitaia is a town in Northland Region, in the far north of 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. ...

For the Okaihau Branch's first few decades of operation, passengers were catered for by mixed trains that carried freight as well and ran to slow timetables. These mixed services offered connections with the Northland Express passenger train that ran thrice weekly between Auckland and Opua, but in November 1956, the carriage train was replaced by a railcar service run by RM class 88 seaters. The northern terminus was changed from Opua to Okaihau, and the railway line rose in prominence and importance. However, mechanical faults plagued the railcars and they were cancelled in July 1967. Mixed trains continued to operate to Whangarei until 21 June 1976, when the line became freight-only. However, declining freight volumes meant that the line did not last much longer, and it closed on 1 November 1987. Today, Okaihau's railway station's platform edge remains in its former location beside a flat area that was once the railway yard, and just to the north of the town is a tunnel on the ill-fated section to Rangiahua, New Zealand's northernmost railway tunnel. A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars. ... The Northland Express, also known as the Opua Express, was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between 1925 and 1956. ... The Auckland Metropolitan Area, or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... Not to be confused with railroad car. ... The RM class is the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and its sucessors given to all railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealands national rail network. ... The NZR88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, aso known unofficially as articulateds, twinsets, Drewrys and Fiats. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains. ... Whangarei (the initial consonant is often pronounced F as in fong-a-ray) is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Reference

• Okaihau community profile