The Māori name of a clinging plant, piripiri (Acaena anserinifolia), is Anglicised as bidibid.

[21] In 1870 the Native Land Court designated the Piripiri block as 18,014 acres (7,290 ha), with a ban on sales.

[27] Contracts to clear a line, 66 ft (20 m) wide, through the Seventy Mile bush, for a road, were let in 1871.

[28] 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) at the Piripiri Clearing was gravelled in 1881,[29] though in 1882 the bush was still so dense that the trees kept the sun off the road,[30] so it was felled in 1883.

Its main purpose was to carry timber from the dense Seventy Mile bush, through which the railway had been cut.

[38] Although the line through Piripiri to Tahoraiti was reported as ready to open on 1 December 1884,[2] it wasn't until 15 December 1884 that the 7 mi 43 ch (12.1 km) Matamau to Tahoraiti section opened, extending the line from Napier.

[39][40] The surrounding bush was leased in 1892,[41] but an 1891 application[2] for loading of firewood was refused, as it was said to be too close to Mangatera.

[2] From Monday, 1 June 1896 passenger trains called at the station, though no buildings were provided.

[2] By 1905 the station had a shelter shed with storeroom and cart approach to a platform and a passing loop for 35 wagons.

[44] Also in 1894 Thomas Baker laid a tramway for Robert Holt's sawmill, which was milling kahikatea, mataī, rimu and totara[45][46] An 1898 fire burnt down their mill,[47] but it had a 24-wagon siding in 1900, which was taken over by the Lands Department in 1908.

[50] Gamman also had mills around the region at Ākitio, Bunnythorpe, Kumeroa, Manakau, Ohakune and Tahoraiti.

[2] The government bought the land in 1903,[52] the timber leases ended in 1909[53] and 16,125 acres (6,526 ha) were sold to farming settlers.

The results were 95.5% European (Pākehā), 11.4% Māori, and 4.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

[57] An 1882 contract gave the job of building Piripiri and Mangatera viaducts to M McKenzie of Dunedin for £9,350.

[2] In the same era Andersons also rebuilt Kopua (1895), Makotuku (1898), Mangatera (1900), Ormondville (1906) and Makatote (1908) viaducts.