Water Tower

This old building stands beside the main trunk railway line at Tirau. It was used in the days when steam trains were the main mode of transport in the north island. The engines would stop here to fill up with water, which was then converted into steam by the heat of coal fire inside the engine.
My grandfather was the Station Master at Putaruru, which was the next station south of Tirau, so my family often travelled by train and were familiar with every stop between Wellington and Pukekohe.
I have vivid memories waking up, while travelling on the night train, stopping at places that seemed like the middle of nowhere and hearing the water from the towers being transferred to the engines. After a while, we would be on our way again and would be lulled back to sleep by the rhythm of the train clickity clacking on the tracks.