The southern North Island is one of the only regions in the country where rail is used to transport logs to port. Trucks carry the logs from nearby forests to rail hubs in Palmerston North, and Waingawa near Masterton, where they are loaded onto trains bound for CentrePort in Wellington.
The use of rail for the Masterton to Wellington journey avoids an estimated 30,000 truck trips across the Remutaka Hill Road from Wairarapa to Wellington, helping to reduce both road congestion and carbon emissions.
CentrePort annually exports approximately 1.8 million JAS/tonnes per annum, and has seen volumes double in the last decade. The primary markets are China and South Korea.
Follow logs on their journey from forest to port:
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