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. 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
We arrived in Auckland and the north island several days prior to our trip's departure.


Great Rail Journeys of New Zealand: Signature Cities and Seas Tour   

The map to the left shows the main stops on the two railways. 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!