Name

On 1 April 1910 the Post Department changed the name from Kaikora North to Otane,^[7] to avoid confusion with Kaikōura.^[8] The name of the railway station was changed a month later.^[9] An 1869 advert mentioned Otane bush, Kaikora.^[10]

In July 2020, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōtāne by the New Zealand Geographic Board,^[11] having previously often been written as Otane. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of a man" for Ōtāne.^[12]

Library

Tenders for a new public library were invited in 1883^[13] and it was open by 1884.^[14] It was replaced in 1929 by a building which also contained council and medical offices.^[15] It is now occupied by McCaulay's cafe and store.^[16] A war memorial is next to the former library.^[17]

Railway station

Initially the township was served by mail coaches running between Napier and Waipukurau.^[18] Ōtāne (at that time Kaikora) railway station opened on Monday 28 August 1876, when the railway was extended from Te Aute to Waipawa.^[19] as part of the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line. It was part of the Paki Paki to Waipukurau contract, tendered on 9 July 1874 for £19,532 by Charles McKirdy, of Wellington, who built the Rimutaka Incline and several other lines.^[20] A local contractor tendered £29,173.^[14] There were allegations of mismanagement^[13] and disputes about the contracts.^[15] However, in 1876, the Minister for Public Works, Edward Richardson, attributed delays only to unexpectedly heavy land claims and floods. S Tracey and Allen, of Napier, tendered £7,989 for track for the Paki Paki-Waipawa length in September 1875.^[17] Ōtāne started with 2 trains a day in each direction,^[16] increased to 3 in 1883^[21] and 4 in 1896.^[22]

By March 1876 Justin McSweeney had built a platform and station, McLeod & Co a 5th class stationmaster's house and Joseph Sowry a goods shed and water tank. In 1884 the station was enlarged and a loading ramp, cattle and sheep yards added. That station burnt down on 1 February 1894. By 1896 Kaikora had a 5th class station, platform (154 ft (47 m) long in 1926), cart approach, 40 ft (12 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, stationmaster's house, urinals and a passing loop for 26 wagons. In 1940 the loop was extended for 80 wagons. There was a Post Office at the station from 1883 to 1912. In 1912 an automatic tablet exchanger was added. Railway houses were built in 1927, 1945 and 1953. In 1966 a new 500 sq ft (46 m²) station was built of concrete blocks, with an aluminium roof^[9] on the same site.^[23] On 9 October 1967 Ōtāne closed as an officered station and on 8 June 1985 it closed to all traffic.^[9] Only a short platform remains.^[24]