I have not done a lot of travel by train but have always enjoyed the trips which have come about in that particular mode of transportation. If boasting is allowed, I have trained in 4 countries now, which is not a terribly high number but is enough to know I certainly prefer train over bus!
New Zealand has a few cross-country passenger trains, mostly for tourist purposes. In December when mom came to visit I decided to jump on that bandwagon and booked tickets for us to take the Northern Explorer journey from Auckland to Wellington.
The journey is 680 kilometers, which took about 11 hours. There were several stops along the way, where stopovers could be planned if desired. We made the entire journey in one day but if I were making recommendations, I'd say a night or two at National Park would be an excellent choice.
Once the joy of industrial Auckland was past, the plains of Waikato were the first major part of the journey. Other highlights were Tongariro National Park, the Rangipo Desert and the Rangitikei district. The scenery was incredibly varied, including farmland, plains, mountains, barren landscapes and stunning gorges.
The journey itself was lovely and relaxing. Plenty of on-board information was available for the history and detail around each major district. The cafe car provided plenty of snacks and coffees and a rang of lunch options. And last but not least, the open viewing platform car was a refreshing way to enjoy the scenery. An entire car was open to all passengers for up-close viewing of the scenery. The was a roof and a floor and walls halfway up, but this car was otherwise completely open. Pin your hair back ladies!
See below for photos and read more detail about this rail journey here:
https://www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/northern-explorer/experience/the-journey/
And now the obligatory photos for you to be jealous over my adventures :)
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Map of the Northern Explorer route
(minus across the Strait) |
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| Our train! |
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| Waikato farmland |
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| Heading into the Central Plateau |
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| Tunnel! |
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| Mt Ruapehu |
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| Mt Tongariro |
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| Cool train bridge |
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| Rangitikei gorge |
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| Almost to Wellington |
