Choo-choo-choose funat Eketāhuna

For almost a century, Eketāhuna was a railway town, an important stop on the Wairarapa Line. In away, it still is, despite the closure of the service in 1989.

At Cwmglyn Farm, 10 kilometres south of town, Colin Davies has built a fascinatingly detailed model railway in his shed.

It is one of the largest in the country, creating an imaginary part of the English Midlands.

Laid out for your admiration, Middleton Model Railway is a realistic landscape with tree-dotted hilly countryside, cute villages and busy towns, chalk sea cliffs and harbour, and extensive marshalling yards, centred on the fictional hub of Middleton. Connecting all parts of the layout are 300 metres of OO gauge track, intersecting at more than 200 points. Davies has such a comprehensive range of railway engines, carriages and goods wagons that he can keep the road and rail traffic authentic and, during the year, works through the decades from the 1950s to the 1990s.

WHY GO?

Because some of the exhibits are interactive, and who wouldn’t want to press a button to control a train chugging around the tracks? The children’s section is populated with familiar story characters, and the main layout has so much detail that grownups will have their noses pressed just as hard against the glass.

INSIDER TIP

On one Saturday each month, a team of train buffs gets together to run the railways to an authentic timetable. Check ahead to find out when this is if you are keen to watch. If you then catch the bug, you can visit the shop onsite to build your own. You can buy everything you need there, at reasonable prices, and get lots of advice.

ON THEWAY/NEARBY

Back on State Highway 2, you are close to the Anzac Bridge over the Mākākahi River at Kaiparoro. It is a small, concrete one-way bridge beside the highway, now decommissioned but still serving a purpose as a memorial initially to the six local men lost in the Great War, and later those killed in World War II. An Anzac Day service takes place there every year.

A bit further south you will find the Pūkaha Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre, nearly 950 hectares of restored native forest reserve ringing with bird calls: tūı¯, kōkako, kākā, kākāriki, hihi, takahē and more. It is accessible, there are tours, walks, eels to feed, an aviary, and even a carving studio, though beware of the giant wētā.

To guarantee a kiwi encounter, head into Eketāhuna, to find its big concrete version, and have a bite to eat at Addiction Cafe or The Lazy Graze. Then maybe do the easy Cliff Walk.

HOW MUCH?

The entry fee is $5 for adults, and $2 for children. The shop is hard to resist.

BEST TIME TO GO

The railway is operational on public holidays, except Christmas, and at weekends, from 10am until 4pm, as well as daily through the summer holidays. For other openings, check the website: cwmglyn.co. nz.

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