Although rail travel had been gradually expanding in the later decades of the 19th century, it was the completion of the North Island main trunk line in 1908 that was the crowning achievement of the ‘Railway Age’. It had taken 23 years of back-breaking manual work with pick and shovel, together with more than a few impressive feats of engineering ingenuity, to achieve. The Stratford-Taumarunui branch line, whilst more than 500 km shorter in distance, took even longer to complete. For 32 gruelling years hundreds of men laid track through swamps and dug tunnel after tunnel through hillsides. It’s more than 3 years since we ‘rode the rail’ of the Forgotten World in the King Country. And we’ve never before combined the tranquillity of a long-closed country rail line with a very different ride through, perhaps, the most spectacular stretch of our main trunk line across the North Island’s volcanic plateau.
In February 2027 Bay Tours will lead a ‘double-header’ rail experience, over 3 days, exploring some of the most starkly contrasting landscapes the North Island can offer. Here’s a summary:
Day 1: Our adventure begins as we drive the Napier-Taihape Road, including the legendary ‘Gentle Annie’ section. Our climb onto the great central plateau takes us past some of the few remaining large-scale pastoral stations left in the North Island. After a poignant stop at the Tangiwai Memorial, we reach Ohakune in time to meet the Northern Explorer scenic train as it makes its way from Wellington to Auckland. Once aboard we’ll settle into our comfy seats in time to experience the mighty viaducts crossing deep ravines as we approach Mount Ruapehu to the east. The highest of these viaducts crosses the Makatote River nearly 80 metres above the water and the longest, Hapuawhenua Viaduct, is over 400 metres in length. Once through National Park station our train will slowly negotiate the 139 metre drop on the engineering wonder that is the Raurimu Spiral, before we enter the rolling hills of the King Country. We disembark at Taumarunui and visit Omaka Lodge, a country house once at the centre of a 5,000-acre sheep & cattle station. We’ll enjoy afternoon tea in their stunning garden. We overnight in Taumarunui this evening.
Day 2: First thing this morning we take a short shuttle bus to the settlement of Okahukura, west of Taumarunui, where we step aboard our self-steering converted golf buggies to spend the morning gently travelling along the old branch rail line to Tokirima, 42 km away. Passing stunning hill country farms and native bush, we’ll cross many bridges and go through 10 tunnels, including the longest on the whole line at 1.5 km. We’ll stop for a cuppa at Ohura and lunch in the country hall at Matiere. This memorable journey will also include a visit to Lauren’s Lavender Farm on the banks of the Whanganui River. What a relaxing contrast these lush, quiet valleys are, to yesterday’s dramatic volcanic landscapes. In the mid-afternoon we head south, this time by road, back to Ohakune where we overnight at the wonderful Powderhorn Chateau.
Day 3: This morning we head to the village of Whakapapa, on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, and enjoy a short walk to the lovely Tawhai Falls (made famous in the ‘Lord of The Rings’ movies as ‘Gollum’s Pool’) before we continue up to the ‘Top of the Bruce’ road. Here we take the Skywaka Gondola up the side of the mountain to Knoll Ridge Chalet sitting over 2,000 metres above sea level. The rugged volcanic landscape is striking and the views across the mighty central plateau towards Mount Taranaki are awesome. After a delightful scenic drive over State Highway 47, past mountains Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, we follow the eastern shore of Lake Taupō into the town of Taupō itself with time for lunch, shopping and a wander before we take the final leg homeward.
At a time when we’re beginning to see some elements of rail transport re-emerge in NZ, this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this most romantic form of travel and enjoy the different picturesque landscapes only rail journeys can provide. “All aboard!”
