Te Huia

Restored intercity rail between Waikato and Auckland in 2021 after a 20-year gap, and went seven-days-a-week in 2025.

Te Huia gave the Waikato its trains back in 2021, twenty years after the last Auckland–Hamilton service was cut. A DF-class diesel and refurbished 1970s carriages amble beside the Waikato River, past Huntly’s power station and the Whangamarino wetland, joining Auckland’s electrified network at Pukekohe. What began as a five-year trial grew into a seven-day-a-week service in July 2025.

Stations

1. 0 kmHamilton Frankton
2. 105 kmPapakura
3. 139 kmThe Strand

The stations OpenStreetMap lists for this service, in order, with the distance along the line as drawn here. A train may skip some of them.

Along the way

• Waikato River out of Frankton
• Huntly and its power-station lake
• Whangamarino wetland
• Pukekohe market gardens
• Manukau Harbour glimpses at Puhinui
• Auckland skyline at The Strand

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 1597603 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 4 m from it
• The operator publishes this line's timetable: KiwiRail — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Te Huia?

The Te Huia runs 138 km from Hamilton to Auckland.

How long does the Te Huia take?

The fastest scheduled journey is 2 h 35 min for the 138 km. That is an average of 53 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 100 km/h.

Who runs the Te Huia?

KiwiRail and Waikato Regional Council, with DF-class diesel + refurbished SR carriages.

How old is the Te Huia?

The line has been in service since 2021. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How often does the Te Huia run?

Up to 2× daily, 7 days a week.

View on the world railway map →

Read more on Wikipedia ↗