 The very next day, New Zealand's final steam-hauled provincial express, the "Rotorua Express", ceased operating.Both expresses were replaced by railcar services operated by RM class 88 seaters, but the "Taneatua Express"s replacement terminated in Te Puke, permanently ending regular passenger service to destinations beyond that town.The railcar itself did not last long; it was cancelled in 1967, and this was as much due to mechanical problems with the railcars as with patronage numbers on the long and circuitous rail route from Auckland.