The Branch Today
After the line's closure, the New Zealand Railways Corporation retained ownership over the trackbed in the hopes that forestry proposals would come to fruition, and some rails were still in place during the 1990s. In most places track and bridges have been removed, though evidence of the bridge piles and ballast remain. A loading bank and rails under a loading chute exist in Kaikohe, and in Okaihau, the flat area of the yard, the tunnel leading to Rangiahua and the platform are very apparent. For much of the line's length, its formation is quite obvious and includes embankments and cuttings. At Rangiahua State Highway 1 is where the rails used to be, with a loading bank to the west and a platform to the east. The corridor is still owned by the Crown.
There is currently a proposal by the Kaikohe Rau Marama Community Trust to convert the trackbed between Okaihau and Kaikohe into a walking and cycling track, much like the Otago Central Rail Trail and the Little River Rail Trail in the South Island. This would be the first step in a plan to establish a rail trail through to the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway in Kawakawa.
Read more about this topic: Okaihau Branch
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