Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago

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Walking the old Dargaville Line last week - Sept 2026


The Dargaville Branch is a historic branch line railway in Northland, New Zealand, that connects Dargaville to the North Auckland Line at Waiōtira Junction. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dargaville_Branch), (wikiwand.com/en/articles/Dargaville_Branch),

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Auckland_Line)Key FactsStatus: Mothballed / closed to general rail traffic since 2014, though a section is used by a local tourist rail-cart operation. (wikiwand.com/en/articles/Dargaville_Branch),

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dargaville_Branch)History: Construction took about two decades. It linked the isolated Donnellys Crossing section (originally the Kaihu Valley Railway) to the national network when completed in 1943.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnellys_Crossing_section), (railsoc.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/North-Island-02.-Kaihu-Donnellys-Crossing.pdf), (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dargaville_Branch)The Kirikopuni Loop: The line originally featured a famous balloon loop at Kirikopuni built under political pressure, which was later bypassed and removed in 1943

Assistants: Cayleb Clayton, Jackson Lee

Drone footage ; Supplied