Northern Explorer: Wellington

This journey could be good but it is appalling, its as if the railway company wants to close it. The 650km journey takes 12 hours, or 55km/hr on average. At times the train gats up to 100km/hr. The food service is mediocre, only offered Wishbone, a cheap lunch offering for workers in the city, the other train services say otherwise. Through the cities, the train provides beautiful landscapes of mountains of trash, mostly dead cars, in the country there is lots of paddocks and very little bush. If its raining there is little to see or do, mobile service does not work, so the internet is not possible We cancelled the return journey, and were charged, despite COVID stopping their call centre accepting our call. An a final insult, the train stops at the Strand Parnell, with no pedestrian access, a long way from any services, despite being just 1 stop from Britomart, the main Auckland station
Sep 29th, 2020

Nice smooth journey with fantastic scenery and great commentary description of the journey. Disappointed that the food was sold out and the air con did not work in our carriage,
Mar 16th, 2023

Visited on Weekday Wait time No wait Reservation recommended Yes More
Jan 7th, 2023

Jun 21st, 2021

Our family love trains and geography so it was a wonderful experience for us. Our favourite part was standing in the viewing carriage and being blasted by the cold winds and seeing the majestic ruapehu, tongariro, the gorge and the mighty waikato. The inside cabins were also comfortable and warm but remember to take a neck pillow so you can nap in between viewings. We managed to do some sketching to entertain ourselves and most families had devices, card games and books to pass the time. Toilets were cleaned regularly too. The cabin meals were heated and dropped off to you, a bit pricey but filling so take some in between snacks. The staff were helpful, hilarious and friendly and there's no Wi-Fi so organise your data before you hop on and enjoy the experience.
Oct 22nd, 2022