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The Manawatu Gorge (in Māori Te Apiti, meaning "The Narrow Passage") runs for 6-9 km between the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges in the south part of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions. It lies to the northeast of Palmerston North. Its western end is near the small town of Ashhurst, its eastern end is close to the town of Woodville.
The Manawatu Gorge is significant because, unlike most gorges, the Manawatu River is a water gap, that is it runs directly through the surrounding ranges from one side to the other. This was caused by the ranges moving upwards at the same time as the gorge was eroded by the river, instead of the more usual erosion of an already existing range. The Manawatu River is the only river in New Zealand that starts its journey on one side of the main divide and finishes it on the other side.
The road through the Manawatu Gorge, State Highway 3, is on the south side of the river, and was completed in 1872. It is the primary link between the two sides of the lower North Island. Other than Saddle Road and the Pahitatua Track, both narrow winding local roads a few kilometers north and south of the Manawatu Gorge, the gorge is the only east-west road connection between the Akatarawa Valley, 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the south, and SH5 between Taupo and Napier 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of the Manawatu Gorge. The road through the Manawatu Gorge has a history of sometimes being closed by slips, especially following inclement weather. From July 2017 it was decided the rock above the road was to unstable and the Gorge will be closed permanently, ending an era of road transport which dated back over 150 years when a road was first investigated in 1867.
While the gorge was a difficult passage upstream for canoes as they paddled, poled and pushed against the swift current, it was totally impassable for the European whaleboats. The feasibility of constructing a road along the Manawatu riverbank was first investigated in September 1867 when JT Stewart, who was responsible for roads and surveys in the district, traveled the gorge in a canoe to report that a road could be possible. In December 1870 Maori were employed to clear the bush for the new road while gangs of Europeans worked in the gorge itself. Construction of the road was not easy, largely due to the solid rock bluffs that had to be blasted to make way for the new road. The road was completed in 1872. Until a bridge at the eastern entrance was completed in May 1875, passengers were carried across the gorge in a suspended cage held 21 metres above the river by a wire rope.
The Manawatu River Bridge at the Woodville end of the Gorge, was a toll bridge when it was first opened in May 1875 and the first "Toll Keeper" was George HAG Ross (Hugh Alexander George Ross) who was employed as toll keeper for 14 years (1875-1889). The duties of the toll keeper were 24 hours a day for seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year (quite a commitment for 14 years). The Toll Keeper lived in a four roomed cottage close to the bridge on the right bank of the river. The toll charges were: a hack, sixpence (5c) cattle, threepence per head (2c) sheep, one penny (1c) per head for the first 20 and then half a penny per head after that horse and dray, one shilling (10c) coach and four horses, two shilling and sixpence (25c)
A single track rail connection was established on the northern side of the gorge; it was completed in 1891 and is now part of the Palmerston North – Gisborne Line. The rail connection is mainly used by goods trains; there are currently no scheduled passenger rail services through the gorge. Occasional railway excursions, typically with steam trains, also make use of the scenic Manawatu Gorge Railway line with its two tunnels and several small bridges. Palmerston North basked in sunshine on the morning of Monday, March 9, 1891, while at the newly-built railway station on Main St west, crowds gathered in excited anticipation.
It was a milestone event: the opening of the Manawatu Gorge railway, making possible at last a straight-through train journey connecting Wellington to Napier via Palmerston North and Woodville. Reporters mingled with the throng. One, from Hawke's Bay paper The Bush Advocate, wrote: "a more beautiful day for the ceremony could not possibly have been wished for, and if one were given to superstition, it would lead him to believe that… the Gorge line will have a bright and sunny future. "When all the passengers from all the trains alighted on the Palmerston platform, together with the Palmerstonites, it was blocked, and the street leading from the station was also crowded…with between 700 and 800 people to witness the proceedings." By 11.15am, special trains from Wellington, Wanganui and Waipukurau had steamed into the station, crammed with dignitaries and passengers. The visitors were driven in carriages to the Square, where lunch was served in a big marquee. Local mayor George Matthew Snelson and borough councillors welcomed railway commissioners McKerrow and Hankey, and Members of Parliament including the Hon. Richard J. Seddon - just a couple of years away from becoming prime minister. The Feilding Star reported: "the opening celebration was fixed to take place at Woodville, but the Palmerston people decided to entertain the official guests during their short time there." Following speeches, "success to the line was drunk in bumpers of champagne, accompanied by great cheering." The Star's reporter also noted that: "a meed of praise is due to Mr McKenna, stationmaster at Palmerston, for his excellent superintendence of the railway arrangements." At noon, the train leaving Palmerston for Woodville had 18 double carriages drawn by two engines, and more than 1000 passengers, including the Palmerston Fire Brigade's brass band. The train arrived at Woodville about 2pm, met by about 600 residents; the two bands played a lively march as they paraded through the town. A reception committee welcomed the ministers and commissioners to Murphy's Hotel, where everyone sat down to a banquet and another raft of speeches.
It had taken a long time for the gorge railway to become a reality.
T. Lindsay Buick, in his 1903 book Old Manawatu, wrote: "this arduous and difficult piece of railway construction was carried out by the Public Works Department by (contractors) Messrs Jones and Peters. With its completion, the quiet stillness of this picturesque mountain passage, formerly broken only by the waiatas from a passing Maori canoe, was gone forever."
Woodville railway historian and former long-serving engine driver Alan Brabender, QSM, says: "the story of the railway line between Woodville and Palmerston North starts with the bridge over the Manawatu River in 1875. The bridle track was already formed, and it was thought that when the railway from Napier reached the Gorge, it would be laid on the bridle track and a new road built above it. By 1885, when the railway line was nearing Woodville, it had been decided the line would be placed on the eastern side of the gorge."
He tells of the gorge's several firsts:
"It was New Zealand's first major construction to use concrete. Prior to that, tunnels were lined with bricks or rocks. Wood was used for bridge piles, and retaining walls were formed with rocks."
The gorge line would also be the first to have a regular commuter service using railcars (1937) and with the opening of the Rimutaka tunnel (1955) became, he says, "semi-dieselised" well before other lines in the country.
"At the present time, six goods trains, three each way, run daily between Napier and Palmerston North. Four goods trains, two each way, run between Palmerston North and Pahiatua. One of the trains going to Napier takes nearly 2000 tonnes there every day. In 1891, the full load for a train was 130 tonnes."
If one of the labourers who built the gorge line could look at it today, Brabender adds, "the only change he would see from when he was working there, is some of the bridges. Some truss bridges have been replaced by steel spans. Those truss spans were shifted and added to other bridges to strengthen them during the 1930s."
Brabender is the author of Woodville 125, tracing the history of Woodville railway station, and is currently working on another book.
The last regular passenger service between Napier, Palmerston North and Wellington was on October 17, 2001.
The Old Gorge Cemetery lies on the north side of the Manawatu Gorge. Public access is available, but the cemetery was closed many years ago to further burials. The road is located just a few kilometres out of Woodville on the north side of the gorge.
In 2011 the gorge was closed after several massive landslips. It did not reopen until August 2012, and parts of the highway were still limited to one lane. In October 2012 it was temporarily closed so contractors could destroy large rocks that posed a threat to traffic. Restoration was completed in November 2012.
SH3 was blocked again for one month by further slips after severe weather on 9 April 2015. In April 2017, the Manawatu Gorge was closed again due to a large slip. Contractors were pulled out of clearing the slip in July 2017 due to ongoing geological movement in the hill, closing the road indefinitely. A further slip in July 2017 at the Ashhurst end of the Manawatu Gorge left an additional 10,000 cubic metres of rock on the road. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is investigating long-term options to bypass or replace the gorge route, with a decision on a preferred route due in December 2017.
The Manawatu Gorge walking track A 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) tramping track, the Manawatu Gorge Track, runs parallel to the gorge on the south side through native bush.[12] The walking track passes several lookout points, one of which is above the site of the 2015 landslide, aptly called the "Big Slip Lookout".[13] The majority of the track leads through native bush, with the lookouts offering views overlooking the gorge and towards the Te Apiti Wind Farm continuing on the hills north of the gorge. Also along the track, in the midst of native bush, stands the 6 metres (20 ft) tall metal sculpture of Whatonga, one of three recognised Māori chiefs on board the Kurahaupo Waka, which journeyed across the ocean to New Zealand.[14] The statue was funded by the Manawatu Gorge Biodiversity stakeholder group and is made of steel. It was lowered to its location in the bush by helicopter, and blessed at a dawn ceremony on 11 April 2014. The artwork on the sculpture features hammer head shark patterns and depicts elements of the story of Whatonga's sea voyage as well as emblems of all of the Manawatu Gorge biodiversity project stakeholders.