Full Feasibility Study Report - Far North District Council

5.0 Engineering Methodology
The base route information for this study was provided to the engineers by:
- FNDC (aerial photo maps and landowner information),
- Ontrack,
- Bay of Islands Vintage Rail Trust.
The proposed route is in two key sections:
1. Old Railway corridor (Opua to Okaihau)
The entire rail formation route was inspected on foot and filmed from a helicopter.
At the site walkover, assessment was made of;
- the state of the track formation,
- culverts and bridges,
- access from public roads,
- existing facilities,
- typical fencing and vegetation cover.
From those assessments and filming the engineers were able to develop construction/rehabilitation
requirements and costs. GPS waypoints were taken along the route.
2. “Greenfield” section (Okaihau to Horeke)
The assessment looked at options for the Horeke ‐ Utakura Valley area, which were suggested by a
number of landowners. All options north and east of the Horeke Road ‐ Cook Road intersection
were abandoned after preliminary helicopter and on‐road assessment because of slope, length and
unstable ground. Some options for the western escarpment to the Okaihau volcanic plateau were
eliminated after site inspections and landowner consultation.
The final preferred route resulted from a series of site visits, reviews of helicopter video film,
discussions with landowners and desk top studies by appropriate technical staff. Reference was
made to “Quickmap” and “Google Earth” information.
Selection was made on the basis of gradient, ease of construction, land tenure and ambiance.
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