Taumarunui stop back on itinerary

Taumarunui will soon be back as a regular stop for passenger trains travelling between Auckland and Wellington.

Up until December 4, Northern Explorer trains would only stop at Taumarunui if 10 or more people wanted to get on or off.

The change comes as KiwiRail releases 12 new rail-based tourism packages, two of them in the Ruapehu region that will use Taumarunui station as their disembarking point. The two packages will also bring passengers into eastern Taranaki, Tracey Goodall, KiwiRail’s general manager of scenic journeys said in a statement.

‘‘The first – Escape to the Forgotten World – includes a half-day rail cart tour and a visit to a lavender farm on the banks on the Whanganui River, travelling on the Northern Explorer from either Auckland or Wellington.

‘‘The second – Forgotten World Adventure – is a multi-day stay in the regions, with a two-day rail cart tour along the entire Forgotten World railway from Okahukura to Stratford, an overnight stay in the unique Republic of Whangamōmona, three nights in Taumarunui and time to visit the King Country.