A 16-day holiday to New Zealand for the railway enthusiast and general traveller alike. This holiday encompasses heritage and modern aspects of the NZ rail scene, main line steam charters in the North and South Islands, visits to three of the country’s preserved lines, steam depots and a bush tramway, a steam boat cruise, and plenty of ‘free’ time to suit enthusiasts and partners. The holiday starts in Auckland and finishes in Christchurch.

An exciting optional five-day extension in the South Island also features two days in Queenstown, adventure playound of New Zealand, visits to a further four preserved railway lines, and includes a second steam boat cruise. The tour price includes all breakfasts, most dinners, and the services of a tour manager.

2010 Tour prices

Option 1: 16 day tour, finishing in Christchurch:

Flight Inclusive Price (based on two people sharing): £3,315

Ground Only Price (based on two people sharing):   £2,380

Single supplement: £485

Option 2: 21 day tour, including Queenstown:

Flight Inclusive Price (based on two people sharing): £3,995

Ground Only Price (based on two people sharing):   £3,060

Single supplement: £595

Tour itinerary

Day 0 Sunday 28 March

We meet at Heathrow airport for our Air NZ flight NZ001 departing at 16.15…(we lose a day because of the time difference)

Included: Flight, meals on flight. Not included: Travel to airport.

Day 1 Tuesday 30 March

… arriving Auckland at 10.00 from where we are transferred by private charter coach to our downtown hotel. The afternoon is free to explore Auckland city. There are a number of exciting optional activities, such as a visit to the Sky Tower, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, or the Museum of Transport and Technology, and we can help you decide. In the early evening we have a talk and slide show by a member of NZ’s Rail Enthusiast Society to whet your appetite for the holiday ahead.

Included: transfer to hotel, slide show, dinner, accommodation. Not included: optional activities, other meals, incidentals.

Day 2 Wednesday 31 March

This morning it is just a one minute walk to Auckland’s Britomart railway station where we board a local commuter train for the one hour journey through the southern suburbs and farmlands to the township of Pukekohe.  Here we board our tour coach and transfer to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway.  We spend approximately 3 hours here to ride the train and explore the workshop area. The GVR has the largest collection of historic rolling stock in New Zealand. In the early afternoon we return to the city by tour coach with a visit to the Parnell depot of the Mainline Steam Trust where we view their large collection of steam locomotives, some imported from South Africa. The evening is free in Auckland.

Included: breakfast, train to Pukekohe, GVR, MLS workshops, coach transfers, accommodation. Not included: other meals, incidentals.

Day 3 Thursday 1 April

This morning we board the scheduled Overlander service operated by Tranz Scenic for a jouney south on the Main Trunk Line through the Waikato River Valley to Hamilton City, New Zealand’s largest inland city. From Hamilton we travel by coach to the coastal town of Tauranga, our base over the Easter period. Our accommodation in Tauranga will be the Armitage Hotel.

Included: breakfast, Overlander train, coach journey, dinner, accommodation. Not included: lunch, incidentals.

Day 4 Friday 2 April

Today we travel north up the Coromandel Peninsula passing through the popular seaside resort of Whitianga. Spectacular coastal and rural vistas dominate the scenery as you cross the Ranges eastwards  to  the coastal village of Coromandel itself.  Here we visit potter Barry Brickell’s narrow gauge Driving Creek Railway which he built through the forest to bring clay down the mountain to his kilns.  The one-hour return journey includes two spirals, three short tunnels, five reversing points and several large viaducts as it climbs up to the mountain-top terminus. On the return journey we visit the 4-mile long Goldfields Railway at Waihi.

Included: breakfast, coach travel, Driving Creek Railway,  Goldfields Railway, accommodation. Not included: other sightseeing costs, other meals, incidentals.

Day 5 Saturday 3 April

A free day to enjoy Tauranga. The annual Jazz Festival will be in full swing, and Steam Incorporated will be operating their steam-hauled vintage train in the local area. Tauranga is the main centre of the Bay of Plenty region and is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Located at the entrance to one of the largest natural harbours in New Zealand and nestled beside the magnificent Mount Maunganui, Tauranga is also home to the country’s biggest export port, Port of Tauranga.

Included: breakfast, accommodation. Not included: Jazz Festival, local steam shuttles and excursions, other meals, sightseeing,  incidentals.

Day 6 Sunday 4 April

This morning our coach takes us on a sightseeing tour of Rotorua in the heart of New Zealand’s famous thermal region which forms part of the geologically active “Pacific Rim of Fire”.  It is also renowned for Maori cultural activities, and we’ll enjoy a concert of traditional Maori song and dance. The day also includes a guided tour of Te Puia to visit the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve to see the boiling mud pools, steaming silica terraces and the geyser activity.

Included: breakfast, coach travel, Rotorua sites including Te Puia visit and Maori display, accommodation. Not included: other meals, other sightseeing, incidentals.