Architecture
Moana is a Troup Class A design, incorporating when built an office, lobby, ladies’ waiting room and toilet, but in the reverse order to the standard design. At the west end is the former postal lobby. It has a corrugated-iron roof and rusticated weatherboard cladding. It is a lean-to with adjoining verandah, mirroring the pitch of the building proper. The verandah has been cut back to fit modem railway wagon profiles. The only decorative element is the valancing at either end of the verandah, cut to form a scalloped edge. The main entrance, a pair of double doors and fanlights, is flanked by narrow sash windows. There are doors at both ends of the building, the west entrance being a separate one to the postal lobby. Between is a line of sash windows. All interior rooms have horizontal tongue-and-groove lining. Apart from the main lobby, these rooms are reached via internal doors. There are a fireplace in the main office and windows in the rear of the office and lobby to view the lake.
History
The date of the first Moana Station building is not certain, but the Stillwater-Otira section of the Midland Railway opened in 1894. Moana became a popular destination for picnic trains early the next century. The present Moana was built after a disastrous fire early in the morning of 16 April 1926 that gutted the station and the refreshment rooms. The District Engineer sought immediate approval for a replacement building, a "No. 5 class A with slight alterations", and proposed that the refreshment rooms not be rebuilt. The building was completed in October 1926 at a cost of £804.8.1. A celebrated garden, winner of station garden competitions, was established in 1950. A busy little settlement earlier this century, Moana gradually declined and in 1967 the stationmaster was withdrawn and it became an attended flag station. In 1986 the station closed to all traffic except passengers, parcels and small lots. It remains a holiday destination and a popular stop for passengers on the TranzAlpine express.
Architectural Significance
Moana is the finest remaining example of the Troup class A station, the successor to the old class 5 station building that at one stage comprised some 15% of all new stations. It is in substantially original condition, with one of the finest backdrops of any station. The building is enhanced by the fine goods shed and footbridge, and by its proximity to Moana township.
Historical Significance
Moana was the only staffed station on the Otira-Stillwater section of the Midland Line: its staff were responsible for the supervision of nearby Kotuku, Ruru (see p. xx) and Te Kinga stations. In the heyday of its timber and tourism trade in the early 20th century Moana was a thriving station. While it lost many of its functions with the closure of sawmills, it remains in use for passengers, a rare survivor of the reduction in rural rail services.
Town / Landscape Value
Moana's lakeside location is one of the most picturesque of any station in New Zealand.
