Taieri Gorge Rail Excursion, New Zealand

Tweet

After four weeks of being cooped up at home my thoughts have started venturing out into the wider world. It looks like our New Zealand borders are going to be closed to non-nationals for a long time to come, so our tourist industry is going to depend on locals to enjoy their destinations. I'm having fun dreaming of trips I may make in the future and investigating them, as well as looking back on past trips already made. In February this year I was down in Dunedin, in the Otago province of NZ, for a Masters swimming competition. I had one day after the swimming meet before I returned home and chose to spend it travelling on one of New Zealand's well known excursion rail trips, The Taieri Gorge Railway. The return trip was four and a half hours, travelling through a winding gorge that was intended to be an important part of opening up the gold mining era in New Zealand in the 1880s, but wasn't finished in time for the miners. It eventually served the pioneers who took up land farming in the area. The trip was an amazing experience - magnificent scenery, fantastic insight into the history of the area., ten tunnels and lots of bridges and outstanding natural scenery. We travelled in a well restored vintage carriage and enjoyed an interesting historical and natural history commentary. We stopped at a couple of remote places along the way for photo opportunities and a chance to stretch our legs. A quaint dining car provided travellers with all their needs throughout the day. Some of you know I love train travel and so this was a perfect way to spend my free day after the swimming. I'm now investigating similar trips in different parts of New Zealand for the future.