| A Grand New Zealand Rail Journey - Sept 2008 |
 In the spirit of true adventure, blended with luxury, train travel is still a preferred method of travel. There is something timeless and romantic about it. New Zealand is rich in rail heritage and has been fortunate to retain many of its most scenic rail journeys. To discover the best of these journeys, one must travel the length of the country and visit some of the most stunning regions of New Zealand.
In the spirit of true adventure, blended with luxury, train travel is still a preferred method of travel. There is something timeless and romantic about it. New Zealand is rich in rail heritage and has been fortunate to retain many of its most scenic rail journeys. To discover the best of these journeys, one must travel the length of the country and visit some of the most stunning regions of New Zealand.
Grand Pacific Tours, the New Zealand Luxury Coach and Rail Holiday specialist, is recognised as the market leader for providing a comprehensive range of all inclusive, value for money coach experiences.
Many are now so aware of the scenic and cultural delights of New Zealand/ Aotearoa that millions have visited the “land of the long white cloud” in the last year. Research shows most of them came home very happy. From next year travellers will be encouraged to “indulge in their passions” and have a “steamy affair” in New Zealand!
All this was revealed when Peter Harding, Grand Pacific Tours’ Managing Director, spelt out details of their new tour, a new 19 day Steam Train Tour of New Zealand..…making New Zealand “the land of the long white steam cloud.” The success of Grand Pacific Tours first sell out steam train tour of New Zealand convinced them this would make a worthwhile addition to their regular tour programme. They have chartered two beautifully restored steam locomotives and organised no less than 9 different train journeys for the September 2008 tour. However, the sheer logistics of getting vintage steam locomotives and carriages from the top to the bottom of New Zealand and on the ferry across Cook Strait means that this tour will more than likely , only be offered once a year.
Peter sees this as a strength: “It makes this tour a very special event. People love the romance of steam and the opportunity to be part of something special. If the tour was to run every month it would lose its uniqueness. On our first steam tour in October 2006 we took the steam train right up to the very cold but stunningly beautiful Arthur’s Pass in the Southern Alps. We started off the day by tucking up our travellers in woolly blankets! A party atmosphere was created which we carried on for the rest of the tour. It is this sense of ‘special occasion’ that we create with every one of our steam tours. When locals hear the steam train coming they stop what they’re doing and come and look. Teachers suspend lessons and encourage the kids came out to wave us through! In some towns even the Mayor has taken time to shake hands and welcome us……and of course our clients just love this as it makes them feel so special.”
The tour is primarily aimed at travellers wanting to enjoy the romance of rail travel and have a truly memorable holiday. It is ideal for those who may have already visited New Zealand before but are now looking for something different. The tour allows them to step back in time and enjoy things just the way they used to be. The experience will be a relaxed slow meander through the ever changing scenic splendour of New Zealand, but with full participation in its unique Maori and Colonial cultural experiences.
Moreover, there is also enough historical rail content to satisfy the most avid of railfans. The world’s first “Pacific” (4-6-2) locomotives were specially designed for New Zealand conditions and Aotearoa has been blessed with an incredible diversity of rail heritage for such a small population.
The world’s only remaining “Fell” locomotive and the world’s only remaining 3’6’’ gauge “Double Fairlie” locomotive are both visited as part of the tour. Examples of British, US and New Zealand built locomotives are all scheduled to be in steam for the tour, and the highlight for many railfans will undoubtedly be the sight of Rogers K88 from 1878. Buried in the Oreti river for over 40 years, this locomotive is now fully restored and is a truly a magnificent sight under full steam.
Particularly impressive to many Australians is the sheer size of the mainline locomotives that run on New Zealand’s comparatively narrow 3’6” gauge. Two steam locomotives are scheduled to be used for the mainline sectors of the journey and each has a very distinct personality of its own. In the North Island a ‘Wab’ is scheduled, while in the South Island a ‘Ja’.
Wab 794 is a 4-6-4 locomotive built in Dunedin in 1927. Originally derived from the very successful Ab Class, Wab’s had side tanks built above the driving wheels to give them the better adhesion and better acceleration needed for the frequent stops and starts of suburban work.
Ja 1271 is a magnificent 4-8-2 tender locomotive built in Dunedin in 1956. Weighing over 100 tons the ‘J’s’ were hugely popular with drivers and their excellent steaming qualities led to them being nicknamed “greyhounds.” They were the last class of locomotive to be built for the New Zealand railways and are considered to be the ultimate development of steam locomotive design. Ja 1271 was fully restored by volunteers in 1997.
As well as having restored locomotives haul the train, the carriages themselves have also been fully restored, making it New Zealand’s only genuine vintage mainline train. Keen photographers will be delighted that among the carriages are open balconied wooden cars, all with beautifully varnished interiors. Some of these historical carriages are now over 100 years old.
Regular photographic run pasts are a popular feature on scenic parts of the mainline and locomotive footplate rides are offered when the tour visits several preserved rail lines and transport museums en route.
There are also visits to aircraft collections, commercial vehicle collections, steam and electric tramways, a cruise on the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw, and even a visit to the world’s only museum dedicated to the Caterpillar….the earth mover that is, not the insect!
The “special” nature of the tour is further heightened on those days when the vintage train travels over lines normally closed to passengers. These include Palmerston North to Masterton through the Manawatu Gorge in the North Island, the line between Christchurch and Ashburton across the Canterbury Plains, and the stunning coastal route between Oamaru and Dunedin in the South Island. A particular attraction of the steam tour is that many of the rail routes are well away from busy highways, so the scenery is still pristine and largely untouched.
The gentle pull, hiss and roar of the iron horse complements a very relaxed schedule and there is no hassle with carrying luggage. Coaches transport all the luggage ahead of the train so it’s waiting in the hotel room on arrival.
The main attractions in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown are visited with plenty of free time scheduled to enjoy them.
There are a few “coach only” days that allow the tour to reach where rails do not. Early in the tour the coach visits Rotorua’s geysers, mud pools and kiwi house and the group participates in a Maori cultural evening. The coach also takes the group through the Fiordland National Park for a cruise on magnificent Milford Sound and a few days later the coach travels along the stunning West Coast to view the dramatic Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. These tour highlights provide a perfect combination with the rail journeys to ensure that it will appeal equally to both rail enthusiasts and their partners.
For those particularly interested in the scenery en route, then the North Island highlights will undoubtedly be the steam trip along the North Island Main Trunk line. The tour travels from Taihape, the ‘gumboot throwing’ capital of New Zealand, to Palmerston North. It passes through stunning pastoral scenery and crosses a series of dramatic high viaducts along the steep sided Rangitikei Valley. The next day’s train travel takes the group along the ledge of the Manawatu Gorge looking down on the rushing waters below. This route offers a different perspective that few rail travellers will experience, as it is a freight only line used by milk and container trains.
The group cruises across Cook Strait on the Interislander and once in the South Island the steam tour adventurers are even more spoilt for choice. A truly dramatic scenic train experience is found along the South Island Main Trunk coastal rail route between Picton and Christchurch. The inlets of the Marlborough Sounds give way to the famous Sauvignon Blanc vineyards near Blenheim. On the way the train crosses the unique rail/road double-deck Awatere Bridge. Then the line twists up and through the Dashwood Pass before heading downhill along the coast, tightly clinging to sheer cliff faces along the way. The train speeds by many a tempting crayfish stall and the eagle eyed will spot seals basking in the sun watching the train go by. Finally the train approaches the whale-watching capital of Kaikoura for a short stop at its multi-functional whale-way station before continuing across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch to complete the journey.
By far the most famous of the South Island lines is the Trans Alpine Midland Line. Crossing the South Island from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea and taking over 25 years to build, this ribbon of steel climbs right over the Southern Alps. The steam journey travels along the most scenic section from Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass. The line traverses the Canterbury Plains before climbing up to a number of spectacular viaducts. Weaving up the turquoise waters of the Waimakariri river valley, it passes along spectacular narrow ledges and ducks in and out of 16 tunnels on its way to the snow covered peaks of the Southern Alps. It is justifiably considered “one of the world’s Top 10 railway journeys”.
One of the favourite South Island mainlines is one that is normally closed to passengers and so it is a real treat to be travelling along it in a vintage steam train. It is the spectacular coastal route from the historical “Whitestone” city of Oamaru to New Zealand’s “Scottish” capital Dunedin. This line has everything to offer the tourist, the photographer and the railfan. It passes along miles of beautiful beaches, climbs high up and along steep cliffs and literally thunders high above the historical port of Port Chalmers on its way to Dunedin. The locomotive tackles such sharp steep reverse curves that you wonder if it will really make it! Of all the routes travelled on, this is the one that garners most respect for the driver and fireman’s driving and firing skills.
Other special South Island train journeys include the magnificent Taieri Gorge Railway which takes the group up spectacular deep river gorges and into the desert landscape of Central Otago, while New Zealand’s most famous train, the Kingston Flyer, will be specially double-headed for the tour. It runs from the idyllic shores of Lake Wakatipu along a magnificent glaciated valley.
This fascinating 19 day journey is designed to give a unique insight into the very best of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, but in a truly relaxed and very sociable way. All rail journeys are during the day and are never longer than a morning or an afternoon, so train “fatigue” is never a problem.
“Among the first to book for the 2008 Steam Train tour were Jim Powell and Jenny Donohoe from Helensburgh, NSW Australia. They visited New Zealand in October 2006 for the special Grand Pacific tour of the “Dunedin Railway Centenary” and could not wait to come back. “ This 2008 Steam Train tour is a steam buffs delight” they comment, “ we love the nostalgia of the steam train era, particular the hissing and puffing of the old steam engines”. Their hobby is photography and after they studied the itinerary of the 2008 Steam Train tour they could not book quick enough as this tour takes them into the north island which they were so excited about, and also it covers some of the most spectacular scenery in the south island. They commented that “travelling by steam gives a new and very different way of seeing New Zealand, but especially it’s the people you met along the way that makes the Grand Pacific Tours memorable.”
So…if you think you are in need of your own personal “steamy affair” and you’d like to sit back and enjoy a very special way of seeing New Zealand, take a close look at this amazing steam train tour which will run for one departure only on the 7th September 2008……but don’t hesitate for too long. Last year’s tour was sold out by February!
For a comprehensive brochure kit contact your local travel agent or the Grand Pacific Tours Reservations Team.
AUS 1800 622 768
NZ 0800 444 673
reservations@grandpacifictours.com.au
www.grandpacifictours.com
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