Ahuriri Branch

[1] Ahuriri by the Inner Harbour, originally called Spit, was the original port of Napier, and a 3 km line from Napier was opened on 25 November 1874, just a month after the opening of the line to Hastings.

The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake uplifted the area by about 2.5 metres, and the port was transferred to Breakwater, northeast of Bluff Hill.

The Napier Harbour Board built a 2.4 km line from Ahuriri to Breakwater, which they operated with two Fowler 0-4-0 tank engines.

Pandora Point now has a marshalling yard, freight terminal, locomotive depot, and a triangle giving direct access north and south from the port branch.

The old main line north to Gisborne was realigned to the east to allow a new link road to the Tamatea area of Napier, and railways land redeveloped as an industrial subdivision.

DFT7145 in Ahuriri Yard, 2003