Kōrero: King Country region

North Island main trunk line: Raurimu spiral compass (2 o 3)

North Island main trunk line: Raurimu spiral compass

The Raurimu spiral on the main trunk railway line is justly famous and has appeared in railways publicity material on many occasions since its construction. A more unusual piece of ephemera is this Raurimu spiral compass. Early travellers on the main trunk line could purchase one for sixpence and follow their journey around the spiral. The map has a peculiar transcription error: the non-existent word 'schoing' appears above Raurimu station. Sleuths from the King Country historical journal Roll back the years discovered that the artist had mis-transcribed '5 chains' (the distance between the station and the first level of the spiral) from handwriting on the source map.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Abundant Past, Richards Collection
Reference: 11091

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Kerryn Pollock, 'King Country region - Transport and infrastructure', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/object/34903/north-island-main-trunk-line-raurimu-spiral-compass (accessed 19 April 2024)

He kōrero nā Kerryn Pollock, updated 1 Mar 2015