Otoko, New Zealand
Settlement in Gisborne District, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Otoko is a small settlement west of Te Karaka in the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. State Highway 2 runs through Otoko on its way from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne. In 2023 Otoko (meshblock 1352401) had a population of 57.[4]
Otoko | |
|---|---|
Pylons from the former Otoko viaduct | |
 Interactive map of Otoko | |
| Coordinates: 38.4625°S 177.6482°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Gisborne District |
| Ward | Tairāwhiti General Ward |
| Electorates | |
| Government | |
| • Territorial authority | Gisborne District Council |
| • Mayor of Gisborne | Rehette Stoltz[1] |
| • East Coast MP | Dana Kirkpatrick[2] |
| • Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Postcode | 4092 |
| Area code | 06 |
History
Artist Peter Williams farmed in the area in the 1960s.[5]
The community was affected by flooding and frosts in August 2016.[6] It also briefly relied on a generator for power after a plane crash in December 2016.[7]
A man's body was found in Otoko in July 2019.[8]
Local roads were upgraded in 2020 with funding from the Provincial Growth Fund.[9]
Railway
Otoko railway station | |||||||||||
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 Otoko station and viaduct | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 195 m (640 ft) | ||||||||||
| Owner | NZR | ||||||||||
| Distance | Gisborne 49.87 km (30.99 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1 April 1912 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 15 March 1959 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The Moutohora Branch had a temporary station from 1 August 1910, when the section from Waikohu opened,[10] though passengers and goods had been carried from 17 June 1910. PWD handed over the section to NZR on 29 January 1912 and it was opened on 1 April 1912[11] and officially opened by the Minister of Public Works, William MacDonald, on 6 April 1912, when it was described as an important link in the Gisborne-Auckland railway.[12] Initially there were two trains a day, taking 2½ hours from Gisborne and 2hrs 20mins to return.[13] Otoko remained the terminus until 1 November 1914 when the Otoko–Mātāwai section opened. By 1926 Otoko had a station building, platform, cart approach, 30 feet (9.1 m) x 20 ft (6.1 m) goods shed, loading bank, cattle and sheep yards, water, urinals and a passing loop for 50 wagons. In 1912 a house was provided for locomotive men, in 1913 another cottage and more in 1942 and 1946.[11]
The Moutohora Branch closed on 15 March 1959 and within a year part of the station yard had been used to straighten SH2.[11]
Otoko viaduct
On 21 February 1910 an £11,773 contract was signed with Griffiths & Co, Westport to build Otoko viaduct. A blacksmith's shop was built near the viaduct, with drilling, punching, and planing' machines to prepare the plates for positioning.[14] It was 112 m (367 ft) long and 30 m (98 ft) above the Waihuka River.[15] It was mostly demolished in 1960,[16] but some of the steelwork remains.[17]
1910 Otoko temporary station
and F Class loco
1912 Otoko Viaduct
and Matawai Road
1912 Otoko viaduct
Parks
Otoko Walkway was a conservation reserve and walkway, owned and operated by the Department of Conservation.[18] It largely followed the old railway, but closed in 2024, due to lack of maintenance.[19]