Tauraroa is about 9 km northeast, and the Waiotira Stream flows southwest to join with the Omaru River.

The first trains operated in 1921 during construction of the North Auckland Line: they carried schoolchildren between Waiotira and Waikiekie, and allowed residents to visit Portland and Whangārei.

Waiotira became a junction in 1928 when the first stage of the Dargaville Branch opened to Kirikopuni.

It had an island platform where passengers could transfer between mixed trains to/from Dargaville and the Northland Express or its 88 seater railcar successors.

The tracks on the west side of the platform and some of the yard have now been lifted and the Dargaville Branch was mothballed in 2014; goods trains continue to run through Waiotira on the North Auckland Line.