above: A huge crowd turned out at the Waihi Station on the day of the official opening in 1905.
There is no doubt that the arrival of the railway in 1905 impacted many facets of the town’s history. Waihi is a great New Zealand town with an extremely colourful and vibrant history that’s worth celebrating and showcasing. While the celebrations will obviously have a rail related theme, planning for the weekend event includes a wider community focus with the intention of creating a number of heritage related events around Waihi town and the surrounding area
This will be a large-scale event running over the four days and some evenings during the Easter weekend period and will be great chance to showcase Waihi and the surrounding areas as a high quality heritage/cultural visitor destination.
left: The first train arrives at Waihi station.
The weekend calendar focuses on family based activities with a great combination of fun, learning and acknowledgement of our heritage on offer. Planning the dates for the centennial celebrations is timed with the holiday weekend in mind. The Waihi area is strategically placed within 90 minutes drive of the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. This fact combined with the number of regular holiday makers that will be in around the Coromandel region make for an excellent potential market to whom the weekend event will have appeal.
A major programme partner has been confirmed with MOTAT coming aboard to supply of two steam locomotives to ride the line between Waihi and Waikino during the four days of the weekend. The team at MOTAT is excited about being part of these centennial celebrations and is looking forward to the opportunity it provides for the use of their wonderful vintage locos. Other heritage vehicles, machinery and heritage exhibitions will also be based at Waihi Station and around the town.
right: Come and join us to relive the glory days of steam over four days at Easter 2006.
The railway line between Waihi and Waikino will definitely be a sight to see as the steam locos puff their way up and down the line several times a day. The celebrations will truly be a reflection of our heritage on the move. As part of the celebrations a re-enactment ceremony will see the Prime Minister along with other ministers and local dignitaries taking part in acknowledging this heritage milestone.
Waihi will be a great place to be during Easter 2006 so to make you don’t miss out on the fun.
Make your plans now to be a part of celebrating this significant piece of New Zealand history.
