[7] A 2008 Ministry of Transport "National Freight Demands Study" said, "Current thinking includes .

a deviation from Kakariki to Porewa to avoid the steep grades into Marton".

Nathan & Wilkie built the Kakariki to Feilding part of the line.

By 12 January 1933 it had a ladies waiting room, which caught fire that morning.

Kakariki closed to all but private siding traffic on Sunday 31 January 1982.

[31] To ease the climb to Halcombe from 1 in 53 to 1 in 70,[32] a deviation was built in 1915, with a new girder bridge over Rangitawa Stream and a 3 span 60 ft (18 m), reinforced concrete bridge carrying Halcombe Road over a new 30 ft (9.1 m) deep cutting.

[42] From 1945, it was used for cool wool storage, having been re-equipped in 1940[43] for dairy products, with freezers from the Port Bowen, wrecked at Castlecliff in 1939.

[44] In 1948 Feltex converted the factory to a wool scour plant using machinery moved from Melbourne; the then Managing Director owned a nearby farm.

[48] It is now part leased to Kakariki Proteins as a rendering plant[49] to produce animal feed.

[50] In 2019 the site was identified as a potential source of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl contamination of the Bulls water supply.

[51] A 1940s report had said, “There is ample water available from wells sunk on the banks of the Rangitiki River and drainage into the Rangitiki River basin is assured for the disposal of industrial effluents.”[citation needed] Most of the 1918 works remains, except that the brick chimney has been replaced by a metal one.

[52] 1.7 km (1.1 mi) east of the station[53] is the small Catholic church of St Joseph, built on Te Hiri Marae in 1914 for Ngāti Rangatahi and designed by John Swan.