Kapitea Siding

In late January 1903 the West Coast Times reported that two news sawmills were bing receted between between the Kapitea and Acre Creeks on the Hokitika railway line. On the 6th of November 1903 that year a correspondent from the Grey River Argus reported on progress... I paid a visit to Kapitea recently and one cannot help but wonder at the marvel of man. A year ago Kapitea was a wild place, unknown in name, even today one of the best equipped sawmill plants of the coast is adding to the production of Westland. Mr Alex Thompson, the genial manager, spared no pains in the construction of the Westland sawmill, and he and his partner (Mr Otto Petersen) are leaving no stone unturned to make their mill one of the best in every way. Messrs. Gillies and Wilson are also erecting a very powerful mill at Kapitea, and I am given to understand that both the Westland mill and G and W's mill will use the one siding. The only thing now remaining is to have a station erected and have trains to stop there instead of at present, at Chesterfield.

Kapitea Siding was established, 13 miles 46 chains (21.85km) from Greymouth in either later 1903 or early 1904, though without the station the Grey River Argus reporter hoped for. 

By mid-July 1907 the Baxter brothers had taken an interest in Wilson and Gillies' sawmills at Kumara Junction and Kapitea while in November 1907 the Westland Sawmilling Company's sawmill at Kapitea Creek (with all necessary plant) and bush engine and all necessary gear were for sale by tender. 

In April 1908 Baxter Brothers Mill was calling for tenders for the laying 60 chains of tramway and in June that year they were advertising for the a locomotive engine driver to support their mill work. 

1911 saw the establishment of the Westland Kapitea Brick Company and by July that year this company was railing bricks from Kapitea Siding for West Coast building projects. The Grey River Argus reported that Experts who have examined them say they are equal to; anything produced, in the Dominion, "and should command a ready sale.” This company continued using the Kapitea siding until mid-1917. 

1919 saw the commencement of a gold dredge in the Kapitea Creek upstream from the railway bridge it seems highly likely its components were brought in by rail. 

In November 1923 The K.K. Sawmilling Company (Kumara and Kapitea) was constructing a new sawmill at Kapitea creek, capable of an output of. 350,000 feet monthly. It is estimated that there is twenty years' cutting in the Waimea district. It was reported that a railway siding has been laid and a silver pine bridge to carry the tram is being constructed across the Kapitea creek in close proximity to the site of the mill. The company has several fine clumps of silver pine on the land being cut over. As the Depression deepened in appears the Kapitea sawmill has closed down for some time around mid-1927. 

Sawmilling operations resumed in early 1937 and the tram line was extended. On the 27th of September 1937 the Greymouth Evening Star reported that this morning’s train from Hokitika to Greymouth was delayed half an hour by the derailment of one of the train wagons near the K. K. Sawmilling Company’s siding, between Awatuna and Kumara Junction. The Greymouth-Christchurch express was correspondingly delayed, on account of the late arrival of the Hokitika train.

A 1943 aerial photo of the site of Kapitea Siding, just to the right/north of the Kapitea Creek rail and road bridges. The old tram line can be seen curving around on the south side of the creek.

A 1959 topo map of Chesterfield and Kapitea

Sawmilling at Kapitea continued until late 1939. On the 7th of December 1939 tenders were invited for the purchase of the sawmilling property of K.K. Sawmilling Company, Limited, at Kapitea, comprising Sawmill complete, petrol winch and steam winch, petrol locomotive, log trucks, timber areas, and 4½  miles of steel tramway.

With all industry now gone from the area the Kapitea siding was later removed. 

Dc4634 on a special shunt service to Hokitika just north of Kapitea on 20 October 1998. In the morning Dsc2652 had run the X6 shunt to Hokitika. Dc4634 was to operate the northbound service with Dsc2652 running attached dead.

Dxc5293 and Dxb5172 hauling the X6 shunt across Kapitea Creek to Greymouth on 11 March 2020