Experience one of New Zealand’s most iconic rail journeys as part of this 3-day escape to stunning scenery, beautiful gardens, fascinating history, and the unforgettable Northern Explorer train.
The unique perspective of rail travel, following a track as it weaves through valleys and vistas never sighted from the highway, makes even seemingly familiar places feel like you’re seeing them for the first time.
Day 1: We head north by coach and reach the Waikato in time for lunch at the glorious Hamilton Gardens and plenty of time to wander these stunning themed gardens at your leisure. We overnight in Hamilton at the lovely Novotel Tainui Hotel.
Day 2: This morning, at Hamilton’s Frankton Station, we board the Northern Explorer train that has already departed Auckland, bound for Wellington. The train trundles through the rolling hill country of the Waikato and King Country before arriving at the northern foot of the Central Plateau and making the 130-metre ascent of the engineering marvel that is the Raurimu Spiral. The train seems to loop around itself, squealing and spitting as it takes the tight turns, before emerging onto the plateau itself and crossing the spectacular Tongariro National Park with its snow-capped mountains and multiple viaducts. From the tussock grass of the desert terrain the train gradually descends to follow the Rangitikei River which has created a narrow gorge with its steep, white sandstone cliffs and horseshoe bends. The train navigates the river and its tributaries via another series of awesome viaducts before emerging into the fertile plains of the Manawatu. It then runs down the Kapiti Coast, around Porirua Harbour and, as a finale, through the bush-clad hills surrounding the capital before arriving into the magnificent architecture of Wellington Railway Station. Wow! What a day.
We’ll enjoy a wonderful dinner and night at the James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel.
Day 3: After a hearty breakfast, we depart Wellington. But we have one more brief rail experience in store. In Queen Elizabeth Park at Paekakariki we’ll visit the Wellington Tramway Museum. A testimony to a time when trams filled the streets of not only Wellington, but many towns around New Zealand. As well as the museum itself, we’ll take the fun 10-minute tram ride down to the beach, stopping along the way to look at the memorial to the thousands of U.S. Marines stationed in the giant camp here during WWII. Then it’s lunch, and time for a wander in Palmerston North, before we head home to the Bay.
Combining the romance of rail travel, glorious gardens, city comforts, scenic landscapes, and unique experiences, this tour offers a wonderful way to see some of the very best of the North Island from a different perspective.
