Architecture
Pukekohe is a standard, but extended, Troup-era class B station, somewhat modified. It is a timber island-platform structure with verandahs on both sides. It has a corrugated-iron roof, gabled at both ends, and it is clad with lapped or rusticated weatherboards. There is a string of double-hung sash windows along each side. It is unclear to what extent the building has been added to.
History
The North Island Main Trunk reached Pukekohe from Auckland in 1875, and the first station, a class 4, was built at that time. By 1900 locals were complaining about the building, and a petition was raised in 1906. Local MP William Massey advocated strongly for a new station, and after he became Premier in 1912 it came to fruition. Railways had originally insisted that the existing building be resited, but a new building was provided on the new site, and the old building was converted into a goods shed. Soon after work began in mid 1912 locals complained that the new building was facing the wrong way for the prevailing wind, but it was too late, and the building opened early in 1913. For many years from 1927, extra staff were taken on each year to handle rail traffic generated during the potato season. From the 1920s the building was frequently broken into. The line through Pukekohe was duplicated in 1954, turning it into an island-platform station, and it is likely that the western verandah was added at this time. The building is still used by railway staff and the platform by passengers.
Architectural Significance
Pukekohe’s significance rests on its rarity as one of the few surviving island-platform stations on the NIMT. It is an example of a classic provincial station and retains a high level of integrity, despite changes over the years.
Historical Significance
The station has stood on the same site since 1913. It is one of Pukekohe’s more important heritage buildings.
Town / Landscape Value
The building is away from the town proper and does not have a high presence in the townscape.
