New life for Station

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 402, 3 September 1991, Page 7

New life for Station

BY

DENISE

HARRISON

Ohakune Junction's i railway station is being i made into a Cafef Railway-Museum to ■Lserve tourists and locals. The three men who b ve taken on the project are: Murray Wihiams, owner of the Ai-tion retail store and thG Blue Tile Cafe in Auckland; Stanley Scott, a/ cai^enter who has jsvorked on restoring old i Auckland villas; and / Barry Scott, a qualified ! chef of seven years in top Auckland resturants. Murray Williams and Stanley Scott plan a display of the history of Railways with photographs and other Railway memorabilia around the walls of the station. After renovating the interior of the building they plan to use excess timber from inside the station for furniture as well as railway sleepers for tables, chairs and counters. The walls inside will be stripped and retumed to a natural wood finish. The station will be divided into three areas - a cafe, dairy and a snow sports retail outlet. The cafe will be open long hours to coincide with passenger train stops. It will be a BYO resturant serving meals during the day and night and also early breakfasts. Open

fires will burn throughout the opening hours to keep customers warm and to provide atmosphere. The crockery and cutlery will be of the original New Zealand Railway's design complete with the NZR logo. The dairy will be small, selling only general household foodstuffs and cleaning equipment. Hiring snow boards and skate boards are the only plans for the snow sports retail outlet at least initially. The station will also have rest rooms, an information stand and a main waiting room for train passengers. Extensions to the cafe and suitable seating on the proposed balcony on the Thames Street frontage of the building are also planned at a later date.