Riding the Northern Explorer and the Coastal Pacific Trains Through New Zealand
We had a very different train experience in New Zealand. Where the bulk of our time on the Indian Pacific train was spent enjoying the splendid appointments on board (with occasional off-train experiences), the Great Journeys Tour employed the railroad to shift us from one point of interest to the next. The majority of our time was spent off the train, as we stayed in hotels each night and changing locales every 2 days. All told, we traveled nearly the length of New Zealand on the Northern Explorer (North Island) and the Coastal Pacific (South Island), rides that offered scenic vistas as we transited from one destination to the next. The 12 day "Signature Cities and Seas Tour|" was sufficient to get at least a sampling of  the variety of landscapes New Zealand has to offer.


Landing in Auckland

Takapuna and Wailheke Island
We arrived in Auckland and the North Island several days prior to our trip's departure, and stayed with ISKL friends Sungeeta and Uday. We arrived in the evening and made our way to their house is Takapuna, a northern suburb of Auckland. In the morning, Sungeeta drove us to the downtown ferry terminal. From there the three of us took a very windy boat ride to Waiheke Island for a day of wine tasting. Departing the ferry, our coach first stopped at Cableway Winery, where a very nervous presenter explained the wines on offer--a Viognier, a Pinot Rosé, and Cable Bay Five Hills. We then reboarded the coach and traveled to the Batch Winery for an al fresco lunch with wine pairings. Sated, we next stopped at the Stony Ridge Vineyards for an in-depth presentations on the wines of Waiheke Island and their origins, followed by a sampling of several of their wines. The final stop was a taste of bubbly at the grand Mudbrick Restaurant, which offered scenic views of the bay. On our way back to the ferry we stopped for a look at Onetangi Beach.





Visiting Takapuna
After the, we spent the remaining two day prior to our train trip enjoying Takapuna with our hosts. Very similar to our visits in Perth and Sydney, this consisted of wonderful meals at home and in local eateries, as well as walks along the ocean. Takapuna is a lovely coastal city, and we enjoyed walking through the town, sampling the restaurants and taking in the fresh sea air. After a restful three days we headed back into Auckland proper, to check in and begin our next train journey.


Great Rail Journeys of New Zealand: Signature Cities and Seas Tour   
The map to the left shows the main stops on the two rail journeys. We took the Northern Explorer the first seven days, transiting from Auckland to Wellington. At that point we took the Interisland Ferry across the Cook Strait, and then boarded the Coastal Pacific for days 8 through 12. Together, they offered a wonderful introduction to the geography and history of New Zealand. The trip is chronicled day-by-day in the links below.  Clicking on the photograph or the day (example: Day One:) will open that day's travelogue in a new window. To return to this page, simply click on the icon above "Return to Cities and Seas Tour." Alternately, there are arrows at the bottom of each day that will advance you to the next day's experiences or return you to the previous page.

Enough instructions, please enjoy the tour!