Plimmerton's Grand Central

Steam engine KA 942 puffs and hisses its way into Plimmerton's refurbished railway station to the applause of hundreds of onlookers anticipating a day of celebration for the station's reopening. Plimmerton has grown up around the railway. Its streets were laid out by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company in the 1880s and the company's founder, John Plimmer, gave his name to the coastal settlement north of Wellington.

The first station dates from 1886 but this was replaced in the 1940s. This second building became near-derelict some years ago and was earmarked for demolition. But the Plimmerton community dug their heels in and gained support from Kiwi Rail and the Porirua Council to restore the station.

See more images from the grand celebrations.

Photo courtesy Taffy Parry