Skip to main content

Story: King Country places

Taumarunui on the main trunk line

Audio file

Taumarunui was the archetypal railway town and was a refreshment stop for passenger trains on the main trunk line as they travelled up and down the North Island. This is the main street, Hakiaha Street (and State Highway 4), and the railway line in 1913, 10 years after the line reached the town. Listen to Peter Cape's 1950s folk song 'Taumarunui on the main trunk line'.

Sound file from New Zealand: Our land our music, disc 1, track 18. Courtesy of Kiwi Pacific Records International

Using this item

Abundant Past, McElwain Collection

Reference: 10991

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.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, King Country places – Taumarunui, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/music/34806/taumarunui-on-the-main-trunk-line (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 6 December 2011, updated 1 March 2015.