1863: Plenty of Fanfare and a “General Rejoicing” Mark the Debut of New Zealand’s First Public Railway

December 1, 1863

In the east-central section of New Zealand’s South Island, a railway line between the city of Christchurch and its suburb of Ferrymead in the Canterbury Region first went into service. Several days later, the area newspaper known as the Press confirmed “that the Ferrymead Railway was opened for traffic, with a general rejoicing the like of which we do not believe we have ever before seen in Canterbury.” This article further noted, “Every thing went on well; and the line is now in full working order.”

The 4.4-mile (seven-kilometer) Ferrymead Railway had the distinction of being New Zealand’s first public railway. The first actual railway line in the then-British colony of New Zealand was the privately owned and operated Dun Mountain Railway, which had been opened early in 1862 in the upper portion of South Island. (New Zealand remained a colony until gaining semi-independent status as a dominion of the British Empire in 1907; it achieved full autonomy in 1947.)

The opening of the Ferrymead Railway was marked by considerable fanfare. The local luminaries taking part in that Tuesday’s festivities included John Ollivier ((1812-1893), chairman of the Christchurch Town Council; and Octavius Mathias (1805-1864), the Anglican Church’s archdeacon serving in that part of New Zealand. (The accompanying image of that day’s celebration in Christchurch first appeared in a March 1864 issue of the Illustrated London News.)

The Lyttelton Times highlighted the overall enthusiasm that marked the railway’s formal debut. This newspaper recounted, “At any early hour the streets of Christchurch presented a gay and animated appearance, flags of every description were displayed in all quarters of the town.” The Lyttelton Times also stated, “The road to the railway terminus was thronged by vehicles loaded with passengers and crowds of pedestrians all making their way to the scene of the day’s enjoyment. Arriving there about noon, we found the most numerous assemblage of people ever congregated together at one spot in Canterbury.”

Notwithstanding both that jovial atmosphere and the Ferrymead Railway’s unique claim to fame, this line was built with the understanding that it would be only a temporary local transportation service until the completion of a nearby railway directly connecting Christchurch with the port town of Lyttelton (via a tunnel constructed through an extinct volcano). The Lyttelon Line was inaugurated during the fall of 1867. The Ferrymead Railway was shut down shortly thereafter, making it New Zealand’s first railway to not only be opened but also closed. In 1977, however, the Ferrymead Railway as officially reopened as a New Zealand heritage railway. Electric, diesel, and steam trains have since been run on a regular basis on those tracks.

Image: Public Domain

For more information on the Ferrymead Railway, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrymead_Railway