As much fun as Wellington was to visit, I had planned a ride on the iconic “Northern Explorer” train to Auckland this morning and had to say goodbye. I was up by 0600 and, after getting another shower in a deserted bath area (those young’uns sure sleep late), I packed up my stuff, checked out and left The Marion (0630). I’d considered riding the #3 bus to the train station but decided against it when I discovered that it wasn’t raining and I’d have to wait 17 minutes for the next one anyway. Instead, I walked all the way, mostly backtracking along the route I’d used two days prior. After arriving at Wellington Station (0700), I made my way to the ticket counter for the Kiwirail “Northern Explorer”. About 15 minutes later, the check-in process (quite easy) began and I had to find Track 9, where the train was already waiting. Checking my backpack in one of the front cars, I then boarded Car B and found my (assigned) seat. Actually, the cars were very spacious and there were windows everywhere - great for a scenic train ride! By this point, I was quite hungry and I ate some of the food I’d bought at the market the night before. We pulled out of the station right on time (0755) and had to pass through two long tunnels to get out of the city. Throughout the ride, the crew did a great job of pointing out landmarks but there was also an audio recording system that turned on whenever we passed anything significant (a light indicated when to don the headsets provided). The sun came out as we proceeded north and the sky contained only high clouds. There was no WiFi but I had a mobile signal for much of the trip. I spoke to some of the other passengers; the young man sitting in front of me (named Finley) was on a month-long “Gap Year” vacation from the UK and was considering Medical School - he was full of youthful excitement and hope for the future. About 30 minutes after leaving Wellington, we reached the coast of the Tasman Sea. There were some pretty ocean views in the segment between Paremata, Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay. Upon reaching the Kapiti Coast District, I walked back to the Observation Car (mostly open air) and enjoyed the ocean breezes. At this point, I remembered that the first person I met in Christchurch (Keith, hotel shuttle driver) had told me that the gauge of NZ trains was smaller than that of the US and that this could cause a rougher ride - I discovered that he was correct but I was still able to move about without too much difficulty. The train stopped at Paraparaumu (for new passengers) and then continued north. We next traveled away from the water and into a forested area. A bit later, we emerged into a huge, flat farming zone. In the distance (to the east), I saw a range of small, cloud-covered mountains. Arriving in Palmerston North (another stop), the crew had to resolve a minor mechanical issue but we didn’t have to wait long. Continuing north again, we passed through an area of rolling hills and trees. It was funny to watch the many flocks of sheep and herds of cows fleeing from the train... Through the PA system, I learned that the “Northern Explorer” followed a track that took many years to complete. Meanwhile, passengers trying to cross the North Island had to use steamships instead. The residents of New Zealand had to overcome a lot of obstacles (engineering, land rights disputes, etc.) and, meanwhile, passengers trying to cross the North Island had to use steamships instead. I felt quite lucky to be a beneficiary of their determination! We passed the Rangitikei Gorge (so-called “Grand Canyon”) but most of it wasn’t visible from the train. When it was, though, the view was spectacular (I learned later that it was the setting of the Anduin River in the “Lord of the Rings” movies). In this area, the train crossed some huge viaducts (bridges), feats of engineering that ultimately made building the tracks through the inland mountain ranges possible. As we began our steep climb towards the Central Plateau, we passed through Taihape, the “Gumboot Capital of the World”. This town, like all the others nearby, had a Māori name that didn't compute with me. Actually, I found following the Māori terminology to be very confusing, especially when the train crew would list a whole bunch of the native place-names in a sentence. Unconcerned by such linguistic challenges, the train weaved in and out of curvy canyons, mostly following the easiest route to the top of the ridge. At one point, we encountered the “Turangarere Horseshoe Turn”, a routing of the track in a nearly 200 degree turn (to minimize the grade). As we finally reached the top of the ridge, a tall (about 9100 feet), (active) volcanic peak with a glacier near the center (Mount Ruapehu) became visible. I again went back to the Observation Car and, braving the wind and cooler temps, tried to get some photos and videos. This was much more difficult than I’d expected, though, since the train was on a relatively flat grade by then and the engineer had opened up the throttle tremendously. We made a stop in Ohakune and then continued north into Tongariro National Park. The crew informed us that it was the second (or sixth, depending on who was telling the story) oldest such park in the world. Just after leaving Ohakune, we crossed the first of the three biggest bridges/trestles on the journey: Hapuawhenua Viaduct, Manganui-o-te-Ao Viaduct and Makatote Viaduct. Also in this area, we reached the highest point of the route taken by the “Northern Explorer” (just over 2600 feet) and the location of the “Golden Spike” (memorial to the crews who connected Wellington and Auckland). Stopping at National Park Station, we also reached the half-way point of our rail journey (1315). This was the closest we got to two other nearby stratovolcanos (Mount Ngauruhoe, AKA “Mount Doom” of LOTR movie fame, and Mount Tongariro) or to Lake Taupo (a massive “crater lake” located inside a dormant supervolcano). Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any of these because of the overcast layer that had developed by then. In any case, it was time to depart from the volcanic plateau. To descend, we passed through another engineering marvel that made the North Island rail crossing possible: the Raurimu Spiral. As the crow flies, the distance between the beginning and end of the Spiral is only three miles. However (to minimize grade), the track was built with a horseshoe curve, two 90-degree curves, a full circle curve and two tunnels, which cover nearly seven miles in all. Unfortunately, it started raining as we entered so I didn’t go out on the Observation Car to monitor our progress in this maze. Instead, I listened to a (long) historical narrative on the train’s audio system as we descended into the Whanganui (the “wh” is pronounced as “f”) River Valley. We stopped briefly at the town of Taumarunui before entering a fertile, wet area with lots of houses along both sides of the track. It was raining continuously by then so it was harder to take pictures. Some birds I saw during the day included: Pukeko (Purple Swamp-hen); Paradise Shelduck pairs (female had a distinctive white head); black & white Makipai (Australian Magpie) birds. The train had to climb one more time (to clear a final range of low mountains) - we passed through Te Kuiti (“Sheep Shearing Capital of New Zealand”) at this time. Towards the end of the rail journey, we entered the Waikato Plains. This area, which I learned was one of the biggest Dairy regions in New Zealand, featured about three hours of flat, green farmland full of cows. We stopped in Hamilton and then cruised into the southern suburbs of Auckland (we made a few stops there too). At 1705, I got some dinner in the dining car and spent the next hour eating and chatting with Finley about his travels. Before we knew it, the sun had set and it got really dark. As we got closer to the end of the ride, I noticed that we seemed to be using the same tracks (Southern Line) I’d ridden on Monday, although we later deviated on a different line (through Newcastle) to reach The Strand Station just after 1900. I got my checked-bag and started walking to my hotel - fortunately, it wasn’t raining and I knew the way. At around this time, I got a call from John, Cecelia’s brother, and we made arrangements to meet up the next day. As I was checking into my room at the Adina Apartments Britomart, I was pleasantly surprised to find my lost luggage, which had been delivered by Air New Zealand - what a relief! I cleaned up a bit and then went out to explore Auckland by night. The weather was nice enough that I ranged quite far to the west until I reached the Viaduct Harbor District. All the fancy restaurants and bars I passed were full of "Bright Young Things" and I almost didn’t get the drink I was seeking. I encountered a Wahlburger franchise during my exploring! I passed a place called Taco Medic and, since it was Cinco de Mayo, I ordered a margarita and brisket taco. My meal and drink were good and I really enjoyed the weather (warm; I was comfortable in a short sleeved shirt) and overall vibe of the district. After getting finished (2045), I walked back to my hotel and explored my room a little bit. There was a nice kitchen, a spacious bathroom, lots of storage, a good bed and some soft linens. I was also impressed that my room was rather isolated from others and had a good view. Basically, it was almost like a room in a real apartment complex... Before going to bed, I did some blogging and reading - I was asleep by 2300. Overall, today was another good day - it took about 11 hours to cross North Island but I’m really glad I made the journey!
