Ōtāne

Ōtāne is a town in the Central Hawke's Bay District and the Hawke's Bay region, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.^[1] The small village, has a school, general store, cafe and pub, and is located just off State Highway 2.^[2] The community had a population of 537 as of 2013^[3] and 516 in 2018.^[4]

Ōtāne
Ōtāne
Coordinates: 39°53′S 176°38′E / 39.883°S 176.633°E / -39.883; 176.633
Country	New Zealand
Region	Hawke's Bay
Territorial authority	Central Hawke's Bay District
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Population
• Total	516

History

The town was founded in 1874, during a subdivision of Henry Tiffen's 5140-hectare Homewood farming estate. The first sales of Kaikora township sections were on 26 March 1874.^[5] It became the centre of the Pātangata County from 1885 to 1977. The county took its name from a nearby Māori pā.^[3]

Name

On 1 April 1910 the Post Department changed the name from Kaikora North to Otane,^[6] to avoid confusion with Kaikōura.^[7] The name of the railway station was changed a month later.^[8] An 1869 advert mentioned Otane bush, Kaikora.^[9]

In July 2020, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōtāne by the New Zealand Geographic Board,^[10] having previously often been written as Otane. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of a man" for Ōtāne.^[11]

 

Ōtāne railway station in 1958

Library

Tenders for a new public library were invited in 1883^[12] and it was open by 1884.^[13] It was replaced in 1929 by a building which also contained council and medical offices.^[14] It is now occupied by McCaulay's cafe and store.^[15] A war memorial is next to the former library.^[16]

Railway station

Initially the township was served by mail coaches running between Napier and Waipukurau.^[17] Ōtāne (at that time Kaikora) railway station opened on Monday 28 August 1876, when the railway was extended from Te Aute to Waipawa.^[18] as part of the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line. It was part of the Paki Paki to Waipukurau contract, tendered on 15 July 1874 for £19,532 by Charles McKirdy, of Wellington, who built the Rimutaka Incline and several other lines.^[4] A local contractor tendered £29,173.^[13] There were allegations of mismanagement^[12] and disputes about the contracts.^[14] However, in 1876, the Minister for Public Works, Edward Richardson, attributed delays only to unexpectedly heavy land claims and floods. S Tracey and Allen, of Napier, tendered £7,989 for track for the Paki Paki-Waipawa length in September 1875.^[16] Ōtāne started with 2 trains a day in each direction,^[15] increased to 3 in 1883^[19] and 4 in 1896.^[20]

By March 1876 Justin McSweeney had built a platform and station, McLeod & Co a 5th class stationmaster's house and Joseph Sowry a goods shed and water tank. In 1884 the station was enlarged and a loading ramp, cattle and sheep yards added. That station burnt down on 1 February 1894. By 1896 Kaikora had a 5th class station, platform (154 ft (47 m) long in 1926), cart approach, 40 ft (12 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, stationmaster's house, urinals and a passing loop for 26 wagons. In 1940 the loop was extended for 80 wagons. There was a Post Office at the station from 1883 to 1912. In 1912 an automatic tablet exchanger was added. Railway houses were built in 1927, 1945 and 1953. In 1966 a new 500 sq ft (46 m²) station was built of concrete blocks, with an aluminium roof^[8] on the same site.^[21] On 9 October 1967 Ōtāne closed as an officered station and on 8 June 1985 it closed to all traffic.^[8] Only a short platform remains.^[22]

	Former adjoining stations
Waipawa Line open, station closed 5.81 km (3.61 mi)		Palmerston North–Gisborne Line		Pukehou Line open, station closed 7.1 km (4.4 mi)^[23]

Education

Ōtāne School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school.^[24] It is a decile 3 school with a roll of 86 as of November 2022.^[25][26]

Argyll East School is a Year 1–8 co-educational state primary school.^[27] It is a decile 4 school with a roll of 80 as of November 2022.^[25][28]

References

1. Hariss, Gavin. "Otane, Hawke's Bay". topomap.co.nz. NZ Topo Map.
2. "Otane official website". centralhawkesbay.co.nz. Central Hawke's Bay District Council.
3. Pollock, Kerryn. "Otane". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
4. "Census | 2018 | SA1 Dataset". datafinder.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
5. "TELEGRAMS. NEW ZEALAND MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 March 1874. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. "Local and General. HASTINGS STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 18 March 1910. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
7. "Re-naming Kaikora North. WAIPAWA MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 December 1909. Retrieved 19 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
8. "Station Archive". NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
9. "HAWKE'S BAY HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 May 1869. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
10. "Notice of approved official geographic names" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
11. "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.
12. "WAIPAWA MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 October 1883. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
13. "WAIPAWA MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 May 1884. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. "Otane's Day. WAIPAWA MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1929. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
15. "Otane Country Fair". www.pressreader.com. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
16. "Otane war memorial". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
17. "HAWKE'S BAY TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 23 January 1874. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
18. "Station Archive". NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
19. "DAILY TELEGRAPH". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 January 1883. Retrieved 17 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
20. "RAILWAY TIME-TABLE. HASTINGS STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 April 1896. Retrieved 16 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
21. "Survey: SN3582 Run: J1 Photo: 16". Retrolens. 5 October 1972.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
22. "Carruthers St". Google Maps. August 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
23. Yonge, John Roger; Company, Quail Map (1993). New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas. Quail Map Company. ISBN 9780900609923.
24. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
25. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
26. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.
27. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
28. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

Coordinates: 39°53′S 176°38′E / 39.883°S 176.633°E / -39.883; 176.633