Insider tip
Where/what is it?
It’s the oldest passenger train service in the country, but don’t go expecting hard seats and steam. This is a modern, comfortable train designed to enhance your appreciation of the glorious scenery you travel through. There are big windows, skylights, soft reclined seats, plenty of leg room, air con and a licensed cafe serving a wide variety of food and drink.
And the route is the best bit: between Auckland and Wellington, through the heart of the North Island, encompassing coast, farmland, hills, mountains, the mighty Waikato River - and more than a couple of manmade marvels too.
Why go?
Why not? You get 352 bridges, 14 tunnels, three stops and 680 kilometres of scenery in 10.5 comfortable hours. A commentary via supplied headphones gives all the background detail about the towns you pass through, the scenic points of interest, the local history, and the engineering facts and figures that made this trip possible in the first place. You’ll hear all about the Raurimu Spiral, whose horseshoe bends, tunnels and loop allow the train to tackle the 139-metre height of the Volcanic Plateau by winding around on itself in a particularly mind-bending manner.
Then there’s the 414m of the Hapuawhenua Viaduct, curving gracefully on its slender supports high above the deep valley below, and the viaducts over the Rangitikei Gorge - for those not afraid of heights, an ideal point to head out to the open-air viewing carriage.
The Tangiwai Bridge over the Whangaehu River prompts a sombre moment of reflection in memory of the 151 train travellers who died that dreadful Christmas Eve night in 1953. On a lighter note and if you’re not a hobbit, there’s also the dramatic
If you’re doing the trip when the days are shorter (excellent idea, the mountains are spectacular in snow) then do it from Wellington north. You’ll be arriving in the dark, but Auckland’s approaches are less scenic than the gorgeous Kapiti Coast.
On the way/nearby
The train makes several stops along the route so you can knock off some other New Zealand icons if you want - get off at Otorohanga for the Waitomo Caves; at Tongariro National Park to explore the
❚