Rail rider
From the mountains to the tussock grasslands, through picturesque towns and over soaring bridges, taking the train will start your vacation on the right track.
Words Rebecca Meyer
Whenever I told people we were embarking on a “grown-up family” long weekend to Wellington and were taking the train, I would often get an enthusiastic response: “Oh, that’s cool! I've always wanted to do that!”
This would be the third journey on the Northern Explorer for my folks, whom it’s safe to say were hooked on the whole rail experience. After coming home from their first trip a few years ago, they made us all promise that one day we’d all make the journey together. Bless Daughter Number One, whom we fondly call “Spreadsheet Sophie”. She coordinated, arranged, planned and booked everything, ensuring all our busy schedules aligned for the impending adventure ahead.
The Northern Explorer is an epic 648km journey which connects multicultural Auckland to our bustling capital Wellington. However, we began our adventure in Hamilton, boarding at 10.15am from the busy platform at Frankton Street Station.
Travelling by train is a sociable affair, and our “Spreadsheet Sophie” managed to book the perfect seating arrangement, ensuring all eight of us sat together. We had adjoining seats with a table in the centre, straight across the aisle from one another. This was well planned on our part considering all five carriages were full, including families with young children, lots of couples and larger groups of all ages. Travel by rail is obviously a popular mode of transport when visiting Wellington.
Straightaway it was obvious everything’s been done to ensure you feel comfortable and relaxed as you sink back in your seat and get ready to soak up the North Island scenery. With spacious seating, and generous amounts of legroom, our Scenic Class carriage delivered air-conditioned comfort for the clickity-clack journey ahead. With a fully-licensed bar on board, we were able to sit back and enjoy several world-famous New Zealand wines and local beers while someone else took care of the driving.
If it’s a large meal you’re after, the dining cart offers plenty of options, from braised beef cheeks and Moroccan spiced vegetable salad, or classics like roasted free range chicken and lamb shank, and for the smaller appetite, there's plenty of savoury snacks and sweet treats to satisfy everyone. Having cash with you is advisable, as the train often travels out of network range, but they do provide all credit and debit card payment facilities. The friendly staff even allowed us to run a tab.
The scenery was quite honestly breathtaking, weaving through the rolling hills of the King Country. The historic Raurimu Spiral at the southern tip of the Central Plateau was a real highlight and was designed in 1898 to make the 139-metre ascent into the plateau possible. Navigating our way around the foothills of Mount Ruapehu, a series of three steeping viaducts bridge the deep ravines carved by the rivers across Tongariro National Park.
What makes this all the more breathtaking is being able to stroll to the open air viewing carriage to breathe in and taste the atmosphere − you truly get to appreciate our beautiful country.
Reaching the Kapiti Coast, we cling to the cliffs high above the ocean, with spectacular views of the Tasman Sea and Kapiti Island.
As we near the end of our journey, reaching Porirua Harbour, it's close to 7pm on a warm, balmy summer evening. The short stretch between Porirua and Paremata is a scenic gem, and a stunning way to end our epic rail adventure. This truly is an unforgettable day-long adventure, and a unique experience well worth sharing with family or a group of friends. Because Wellington's city train service is so good, we don't need a car for the long weekend away. So to everyone who’s ever wondered if it’s worth the $214 one-way train ticket on the Northern Explorer to Wellington, I’d say yes, do it if it’s on your bucket list!
Northern Explorer Auckland to Wellington trains run Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
DESTINATIONS: Auckland • Hamilton
Otorohanga (Waitomo Caves) • Taumarunui
Tongariro National Park • Ohakune
Palmerston North • Wellington.