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Rotomanu school children leaving on a visit to Southburn School,Timaru. 1968.
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DescriptionEvelyn Hampton
This is in 1968 when the Midland line schools did their trip to Wellington, the southburn trip was a few yrs earlier, dad took this photo as we were about to board the railcar, we went to chch and up on the ferry in a storm , good trip though...
About to board a railcar arriving from Greymouth, these Rotomanu school children were going on a visit to Southburn School, inland from St Andrews (south of Timaru). It was a return trip, after children from that school visited Rotomanu in September 1965. I am guessing that it happened in 1966, possibly early spring judging by the willows in the background, but hopefully someone will know.
Another photo taken shortly before this one featured in “West of the Divide: More Memories of the Midland Line.” In this one, Jack Larkin is standing by the door, with Jean Webber close by, wearing dark red cardigan. Others there on that day included the following adults: Jim Ryan, Doreen Whitmore and Agnes Wallace; and the following children: Doug Webber, Mary Larkin, Ray Larkin, David Whitmore, Sylvia Dobbin, Trevor Marley and Patricia Ryan.
The photo was taken by Mary Buchanan.
Date of Photo1968Map[1] ContributorStephen Wright
This is in 1968 when the Midland line schools did their trip to Wellington, the southburn trip was a few yrs earlier, dad took this photo as we were about to board the railcar, we went to chch and up on the ferry in a storm , good trip though...
About to board a railcar arriving from Greymouth, these Rotomanu school children were going on a visit to Southburn School, inland from St Andrews (south of Timaru). It was a return trip, after children from that school visited Rotomanu in September 1965. I am guessing that it happened in 1966, possibly early spring judging by the willows in the background, but hopefully someone will know.
Another photo taken shortly before this one featured in “West of the Divide: More Memories of the Midland Line.” In this one, Jack Larkin is standing by the door, with Jean Webber close by, wearing dark red cardigan. Others there on that day included the following adults: Jim Ryan, Doreen Whitmore and Agnes Wallace; and the following children: Doug Webber, Mary Larkin, Ray Larkin, David Whitmore, Sylvia Dobbin, Trevor Marley and Patricia Ryan.
The photo was taken by Mary Buchanan.
Date of Photo1968Map[1] ContributorStephen Wright
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)RotomanuOrganisation (eg business)Rotomanu schoolRotomanu stationEventRotomanu school children leaving on a visit to Southburn School
From Facebook
Date Created11th August 2021CommentsJohn Van Groen
I went to lake Brunner school , we shifted to Southburn , then went to Southburn school
Evelyn Hampton
John Van Groen we did a trip to southburn and then the next yr they came up to us, when we were there my penfriend was a girl bishop, it was the year the queen mother sailed into timaru on the Britannia, good memories a long time ago now
Brian Thomas
Is that you Dug
Doug Cotter
Craig Benbow
Be too early for Doug Brian Thomas
Evelyn Hampton
This is in 1968 when the Midland line schools did their trip to Wellington, the southburn trip was a few yrs earlier, dad took this photo as we were about to board the railcar, we went to chch and up on the ferry in a storm , good trip though...
Peter Moore
Lived in kumara.Those railcars wher greatIn fact i think we still should have them.Loved going to ChCh for holidays.
Bruce Whitfield
Peter Moore The railcars were well ahead of their time...Can still remember what it was like as a passenger when they wound up to Cruising speed...!
Craig Benbow
Yeah that clickety clack was pretty neat and te way they kind of rocked side to side Bruce Whitfield I remember one trip we did they had to come to a quick halt when the smell of burning rubber filled the car. Not sure what went wrong but I'm not sure they were that reliable at times.....
Linda Howard
Recognise a good few of those names.
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman
Great machines!
· Reply · 19h
David Perry
It’s so bloody sad that these sort of trips stopped with the demise of rail on the coast.
It must have been a wonderful adventure and education for those kids.
I wonder if the Government who closed these lines ever understood the damage they did?
Peter Moore
Absolutley loved my upbringing in kumara in 50s and 60s. Still go back for westland rally every year.Still salt of the earth people.And always feel im going home.
Roger O'Regan
Those railcars would still be a great form of passenger transport. Much faster and better than being towed along by a great loco.
Karen Green
Bring back so many memories
Gayle Wright
Karen Green me too, I lived close to the station, spent a lot of time there
Rob Lunn
Grew up with those things If my aging memory serves me correctly at the weekends there were three returned trips to ChCh a day they were post WW 2 Fiats and gave terrific service as a youngster we would take the sportsman (6am leaving GREYMOUTH and picked up at Dobson and travel to ChCh hands out the windows in the tunnel ride up front with the driver and rattle down the Canterbury plains at great speed a game of Rugby League against the red and blacks those were the days
Russell Cook
We used to catch the 12 o'clock railcar at Kaihinu, go to town ,buy some lollies and come back home on the 1 o'clock railcar in the early 60s ,,, what memories,,,fabulous,,,
Jim Webber
Many familiar faces there, my mother in the dark coat and younger brother Ron (RIP ) wearing grey jacket. I used to catch the railcar home from the High School boarding hostel each Friday evening from 1965, 66, 67. There were a number of good duck shooting ponds behind the railway station and good trout fishing in the river which ran from Lake Poerua and joined the Crooked River on it's way to Lake Brunner.
Matthew Costello
Cole Jones
Malcolm Yorston
Travelled on these old Fiat Twinsets and the older Vulcans many times.
Jeanne Thomson
I use to go to school on
John Gardner
Loved travelling on those Railcars, CHC/Grey/ Chc
Jeanne Thomson
The Valcan railcar
Ray Deo
That's a Fiat. Made by the Drewry Car company of Birmingham. The same company that made Bournemouth Bell Electric Paulman Units. The designer was great but the short cut to the build instigated by the bean counters in Wellington made them a nightmare for the service division to keep them going. It is a testament to all the Kiwi road engineers that worked on them them through the wee small hours to provide a service next day. They should have monuments all over NZ to them.
Paul Sheppard
Joy Richards. Is this far from Jeff’s place?
Kevin O'Regan
Great photo, Landing to Westport regularly. What a service the railcars were.
Peter Bain Hogg
Does Rotomanu still have a school? Or children??
Evelyn Hampton
Peter Bain Hogg no they closed the school controversially some 20 years ago now...
Peter Bain Hogg
I loved the railcar. I reckon I rode it every school holidays from 1960-1966 between ChCh and Greymouth. That section past lake Brunner is so beautiful.
Laurie Anisy
Pity we didn’t keep some of those railcars.
Rob Evans
Loved the old Railcars , an era gone
Evelyn Hampton
That was a great trip Trevor Crew was our teacher at the time..
Angie Quinn
I remember the rail car. You used to flip the seats for the ‘return’ journey
Jim Webber
My mother and brother Ron ( RIP) nearest the camera
Kevin Collett
You can still ride on one in Ashburton
Gayle Wright
Very close to our home. Spent a lot of time at the station.
Roger Smith
Who was Principal then ?
Ron Parish
Westport to Greymouth
Bill Mcintyre
That's the railcar I remember from childhood ◇♧♤♡
Alan Smith
On the tin hair. Where are they 2day
Lee Rae
I did the trip to Wellington in 1971 from Hokitika with St Mary’s Primary ?
1h
Reply
Andrew Mckenzie
Phill Dense Michael Dense
1h
Reply
Pete Lusk
I used to come over from Christchurch on the Press railcar. It left about 2am to bring the newspaper to the Coast.
I remember coming over one winter when Greymouth station was being blasted by the Barber (wind).
I was getting ready to shiver in the waiting room when the station master turned up with a shovel of glowing coals and got the fire going. I was warm in no time!
Marilyn Rea-Menzies
Pete Lusk I used to travel on the 2am railcar, going home for the holidays while I was at Teacher's Training College in Christchurch. 1961/62. Loved that trip.
Pete Lusk
This is such a great photo! It really captures the West Coast railcar and the service it provided.
Gavin Davy
Did that trip on the Maria’s a kid, the old man reckoned the boat turned over three times on the way.
Sheryl O'Leary
I did a school trip to Wellington from Cobden School. We sailed Lyttelton to Wellington return on the Wahine before she went down. Mr Skinner was our teacher. I still remember that trip vividly..
Jennie Scott
Mum grew up there. Our Wellington trip through on the railcar from Hoki was 1972. Smooth sailing for us.
Al Sheehan
Was on the same trip and got on the railcar at Otira, we saw the wreck of the Wahine at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
Jackie Hetherington
Awesome great memories ??
Anna Wright
This brings back memories. Great photo.
Hemi Mason
Wow I was 10 what a lovely old photo
John Paget
I took it a couple of times.. Good trip.
Jenny Naylor
We had good trips in the railcar.
Hemi Mason
Jenny Naylor yes we all did lovely memories
Christine Stewart
In my year our class did the same trip and we were on the maiden voyage of the Whahini. There was an article in the Weekly News and we were front and centre in the photo.
Sarah Penrose
We did this from West Coast (Hari Hari, whataroa etc) every 2 years. Train to Chch, ferry to Wgtn, went to police training where lunch included instant mash spuds. Horrible. never had it again. But the trip was great.
Linda Howard
I have that photo somewhere.
John Bennett
I think we were on this trip, lots of kids were sick in the rooms, not me thankfully, but still recall the smell
Dean Davey
So did I on the Maori..very sea sick
Russell Cook
I want to go back ,
PJ Spence
Loved the coast railcar trips in the 60's!
Kathryn Ward
We did the Wellington trip as well, from Hokitika. It was wonderful
Linda Mears
Great memories. Rural schools had the best advantages.
Sue Bousfield
Christine Stewart yes. I remember that trip to Wellington with Miss Burt and Tony Lowe. It was overnight. Was it the following year the Wahine ran aground?
Maria Delury Smith
Had a great trip to Wellington 1967, so exciting. I have pics of Sacred Heart Cobden girls that went, visited Zoo, parliament, cablecar
Pauline Schafer
We did the railcar and ferry (Wahine) in 1967 to Wellington. A great trip. We did parliament and the
Christine Stewart
In my year our class did the same trip and we were on the maiden voyage of the Whahini. There was an article in the Weekly News and we were front and centre in the photo.
Sarah Penrose
We did this from West Coast (Hari Hari, whataroa etc) every 2 years. Train to Chch, ferry to Wgtn, went to police training where lunch included instant mash spuds. Horrible. never had it again. But the trip was great
I went to lake Brunner school , we shifted to Southburn , then went to Southburn school
Evelyn Hampton
John Van Groen we did a trip to southburn and then the next yr they came up to us, when we were there my penfriend was a girl bishop, it was the year the queen mother sailed into timaru on the Britannia, good memories a long time ago now
Brian Thomas
Is that you Dug
Doug Cotter
Craig Benbow
Be too early for Doug Brian Thomas
Evelyn Hampton
This is in 1968 when the Midland line schools did their trip to Wellington, the southburn trip was a few yrs earlier, dad took this photo as we were about to board the railcar, we went to chch and up on the ferry in a storm , good trip though...
Peter Moore
Lived in kumara.Those railcars wher greatIn fact i think we still should have them.Loved going to ChCh for holidays.
Bruce Whitfield
Peter Moore The railcars were well ahead of their time...Can still remember what it was like as a passenger when they wound up to Cruising speed...!
Craig Benbow
Yeah that clickety clack was pretty neat and te way they kind of rocked side to side Bruce Whitfield I remember one trip we did they had to come to a quick halt when the smell of burning rubber filled the car. Not sure what went wrong but I'm not sure they were that reliable at times.....
Linda Howard
Recognise a good few of those names.
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman
Great machines!
· Reply · 19h
David Perry
It’s so bloody sad that these sort of trips stopped with the demise of rail on the coast.
It must have been a wonderful adventure and education for those kids.
I wonder if the Government who closed these lines ever understood the damage they did?
Peter Moore
Absolutley loved my upbringing in kumara in 50s and 60s. Still go back for westland rally every year.Still salt of the earth people.And always feel im going home.
Roger O'Regan
Those railcars would still be a great form of passenger transport. Much faster and better than being towed along by a great loco.
Karen Green
Bring back so many memories
Gayle Wright
Karen Green me too, I lived close to the station, spent a lot of time there
Rob Lunn
Grew up with those things If my aging memory serves me correctly at the weekends there were three returned trips to ChCh a day they were post WW 2 Fiats and gave terrific service as a youngster we would take the sportsman (6am leaving GREYMOUTH and picked up at Dobson and travel to ChCh hands out the windows in the tunnel ride up front with the driver and rattle down the Canterbury plains at great speed a game of Rugby League against the red and blacks those were the days
Russell Cook
We used to catch the 12 o'clock railcar at Kaihinu, go to town ,buy some lollies and come back home on the 1 o'clock railcar in the early 60s ,,, what memories,,,fabulous,,,
Jim Webber
Many familiar faces there, my mother in the dark coat and younger brother Ron (RIP ) wearing grey jacket. I used to catch the railcar home from the High School boarding hostel each Friday evening from 1965, 66, 67. There were a number of good duck shooting ponds behind the railway station and good trout fishing in the river which ran from Lake Poerua and joined the Crooked River on it's way to Lake Brunner.
Matthew Costello
Cole Jones
Malcolm Yorston
Travelled on these old Fiat Twinsets and the older Vulcans many times.
Jeanne Thomson
I use to go to school on
John Gardner
Loved travelling on those Railcars, CHC/Grey/ Chc
Jeanne Thomson
The Valcan railcar
Ray Deo
That's a Fiat. Made by the Drewry Car company of Birmingham. The same company that made Bournemouth Bell Electric Paulman Units. The designer was great but the short cut to the build instigated by the bean counters in Wellington made them a nightmare for the service division to keep them going. It is a testament to all the Kiwi road engineers that worked on them them through the wee small hours to provide a service next day. They should have monuments all over NZ to them.
Paul Sheppard
Joy Richards. Is this far from Jeff’s place?
Kevin O'Regan
Great photo, Landing to Westport regularly. What a service the railcars were.
Peter Bain Hogg
Does Rotomanu still have a school? Or children??
Evelyn Hampton
Peter Bain Hogg no they closed the school controversially some 20 years ago now...
Peter Bain Hogg
I loved the railcar. I reckon I rode it every school holidays from 1960-1966 between ChCh and Greymouth. That section past lake Brunner is so beautiful.
Laurie Anisy
Pity we didn’t keep some of those railcars.
Rob Evans
Loved the old Railcars , an era gone
Evelyn Hampton
That was a great trip Trevor Crew was our teacher at the time..
Angie Quinn
I remember the rail car. You used to flip the seats for the ‘return’ journey
Jim Webber
My mother and brother Ron ( RIP) nearest the camera
Kevin Collett
You can still ride on one in Ashburton
Gayle Wright
Very close to our home. Spent a lot of time at the station.
Roger Smith
Who was Principal then ?
Ron Parish
Westport to Greymouth
Bill Mcintyre
That's the railcar I remember from childhood ◇♧♤♡
Alan Smith
On the tin hair. Where are they 2day
Lee Rae
I did the trip to Wellington in 1971 from Hokitika with St Mary’s Primary ?
1h
Reply
Andrew Mckenzie
Phill Dense Michael Dense
1h
Reply
Pete Lusk
I used to come over from Christchurch on the Press railcar. It left about 2am to bring the newspaper to the Coast.
I remember coming over one winter when Greymouth station was being blasted by the Barber (wind).
I was getting ready to shiver in the waiting room when the station master turned up with a shovel of glowing coals and got the fire going. I was warm in no time!
Marilyn Rea-Menzies
Pete Lusk I used to travel on the 2am railcar, going home for the holidays while I was at Teacher's Training College in Christchurch. 1961/62. Loved that trip.
Pete Lusk
This is such a great photo! It really captures the West Coast railcar and the service it provided.
Gavin Davy
Did that trip on the Maria’s a kid, the old man reckoned the boat turned over three times on the way.
Sheryl O'Leary
I did a school trip to Wellington from Cobden School. We sailed Lyttelton to Wellington return on the Wahine before she went down. Mr Skinner was our teacher. I still remember that trip vividly..
Jennie Scott
Mum grew up there. Our Wellington trip through on the railcar from Hoki was 1972. Smooth sailing for us.
Al Sheehan
Was on the same trip and got on the railcar at Otira, we saw the wreck of the Wahine at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
Jackie Hetherington
Awesome great memories ??
Anna Wright
This brings back memories. Great photo.
Hemi Mason
Wow I was 10 what a lovely old photo
John Paget
I took it a couple of times.. Good trip.
Jenny Naylor
We had good trips in the railcar.
Hemi Mason
Jenny Naylor yes we all did lovely memories
Christine Stewart
In my year our class did the same trip and we were on the maiden voyage of the Whahini. There was an article in the Weekly News and we were front and centre in the photo.
Sarah Penrose
We did this from West Coast (Hari Hari, whataroa etc) every 2 years. Train to Chch, ferry to Wgtn, went to police training where lunch included instant mash spuds. Horrible. never had it again. But the trip was great.
Linda Howard
I have that photo somewhere.
John Bennett
I think we were on this trip, lots of kids were sick in the rooms, not me thankfully, but still recall the smell
Dean Davey
So did I on the Maori..very sea sick
Russell Cook
I want to go back ,
PJ Spence
Loved the coast railcar trips in the 60's!
Kathryn Ward
We did the Wellington trip as well, from Hokitika. It was wonderful
Linda Mears
Great memories. Rural schools had the best advantages.
Sue Bousfield
Christine Stewart yes. I remember that trip to Wellington with Miss Burt and Tony Lowe. It was overnight. Was it the following year the Wahine ran aground?
Maria Delury Smith
Had a great trip to Wellington 1967, so exciting. I have pics of Sacred Heart Cobden girls that went, visited Zoo, parliament, cablecar
Pauline Schafer
We did the railcar and ferry (Wahine) in 1967 to Wellington. A great trip. We did parliament and the
Christine Stewart
In my year our class did the same trip and we were on the maiden voyage of the Whahini. There was an article in the Weekly News and we were front and centre in the photo.
Sarah Penrose
We did this from West Coast (Hari Hari, whataroa etc) every 2 years. Train to Chch, ferry to Wgtn, went to police training where lunch included instant mash spuds. Horrible. never had it again. But the trip was great
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West Coast New Zealand History (20th Nov 2025). Rotomanu school children leaving on a visit to Southburn School,Timaru. 1968.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 9th Apr 2026 12:14, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/29777