Frankton, Waikato

Location map
New Zealand
label=Frankton
lat_dir=S | lat_deg=37 | lat_min=47
lon_dir=E | lon_deg=175 | lon_min=15
position=left
width= 150
float=right
caption=

Frankton is a central suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the site of the city's passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area.

Tornado

Just before midday on Wednesday 25 August 1948 a tornado ripped through Frankton.

For names of the people killed go here. [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sooty/franktontornado.html] .Three people were killed, seven victims were badly injured and damage to property was heavy after a tornado swept across Hamilton from the north-west shortly before midday on Wednesday 25 August 1948.

The tornado, which appeared to have originated in the Frankton or Forest Lake area, went through the business area of Frankton then went over the hill into Hamilton West where it passed between the Hamilton Lake and Victoria Street (the main street) and then travelled across the Waikato River to Hamilton East where damage occurred in Wellington, Naylor and Grey Street’s.

Buildings were lifted off their piles, chimneys were snapped off, houses were unroofed houses, trees uprooted and power and telephone lines were left hanging in the streets. The air was filled with flying corrugated iron, branches of trees, timber and other debris. Heavy rain accompanied the storm and overhead lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The storm passed quickly and was succeeded by a strange calm.

V8 Supercars

The newly announced New Zealand leg of the Australian V8 Supercars will centre in and around Frankton, yearly from April 2008.

Railway

Frankton was once home to Frankton Junction, a very important railway station, and the now-closed Frankton Tea Rooms, where passenger trains without dining cars would stop to allow passengers to purchase food and drinks.

Today, it still acts as the location of the junction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway and the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and is Hamilton's only passenger railway station, but now freight trains are handled at the Te Rapa yards further north and only two passenger trains stop daily. These two trains are services between Auckland and Wellington.

Commerce Street

The main street of Frankton, Commerce Street, and the streets surrounding it, form one of Hamilton City's largest suburban non-mall shopping areas. This includes west Hamilton offices of many major banks, such as Bank of New Zealand, ANZ and Westpac, as well as a branch of New Zealand Post and Kiwibank.

The area is dominated by the well-known locally-owned department store, Forlongs Furnishings of Frankton. The family-owned business operates a number of specialised departments, such as furnishings, furniture, video games, electronics, outdoor equipment and fashion, across several blocks. A characteristic jingle is used for the store's widespread local and national advertising.

Other Businesses

Other businesses in the Frankton Area include the very well known Frankton Model Shop, Forlongs of Frankton, Moshim's Discount House, Trevor's Barber Shop and 1 of 3 independent butchers remaining in Hamilton.

Frankton Primary School

Located on the boundaries of Massey Street, and Rifle Range Road. The School opened 3 April 1911.

St. Columba's Catholic School

Adjoining Frankton Primary School and Aberdeen Primary School, St. Columba's Catholic School is a full primary (Teaching Year 0 - Year 8), state integrated school, established in 1918. It currently has 16 classrooms and a roll of approximately 420 students.

Rifle Range Road

[http://www.smaps.co.nz/nz/hamilton/frankton/rifle+range+road/] Map of Frankton, and Rifle Range Road

ee also

*Suburbs of Hamilton, New Zealand
* [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/Gov12_03Rail-fig-Gov12_03Rail063a.html Photo of Frankton Junction Station, early 1890s]
* [http://www.stcolumbas.school.nz/|St Columbas Catholic School, Hamilton, New Zealand]