From Wikipedia
The station handled freight and passenger traffic from when it opened in 1872 until closing in the late 20th century, and from 1880 was the site of an interchange between passenger rail and trams until the 1930s. The station building remains and is currently tenanted by a restaurant. There have been proposals for the reinstatement of commuter rail services on the Main North Line that would involve the use of Papanui but thus far, none has been approved.

And this restaurant, a Korean BBQ Buffet is called The Station in Papanui, Christchurch.

And it isn’t fancy by any means. There’s a table when you come in where you sit if you do not want the buffet, and in the buffet area, there are tables with the requisite single burner portable butane stove on top. The station structure is wood and while there are overhead heating lamps, it can still be quite cold- until you start cooking and eating.

I must say I love buffets. As someone who eats basically only one meal a day, indulging yourself in unlimited food is VERY satisfying. And the price- who says no to $39pp? If you’ve been to Korean buffets, you’d be familiar with the requisite sides: kimchi, pickled cucumber, and candied sweet potatoes. But because this is New Zealand, there are also chicken nuggets, hot chips and fried-chicken nibbles. Some people I know find table-top cooking a chore, but if you can keep yourself from eating a lot of the prepared sides, waiting til your meats are cooked allows your stomach to take in more just to get your money’s worth.