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Auckland to Wellington by train aboard

The Overlander . . .

Take the Overlander train from Auckland to Wellington!

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Wellington-Auckland on the Overlander from just NZ$119 (£48)!

The famous "Overlander" train is easily the best way to get from downtown Auckland to city centre Wellington, stress-free and in comfort at ground level, stopping off if you like at the Tongariro National Park.  The "Overlander" is an epic 681 kilometre (423 mile) journey across the whole interior of the North Island, taking you in a single day past every kind of scenery there is, from coastline to volcanoes to mountains, from lush green farmland to thick New Zealand bush.  It will take you the length of the historic North Island Main Trunk Railway, started in 1885 and completed in 1908, over such feats of engineering at the Raurimu Spiral, Turangarere Horseshoe and Makatote Viaduct.  It's one of the world's great railway journeys, and one of my favourites.  And all this costs just NZ$ 119 (£48 or US$95).  This is one of my favourite train journeys anywhere, you'd be crazy to waste the opportunity, so ditch that domestic flight to Wellington and take the train!

On this page...

Auckland  - Wellington "Overlander" timetable

Overlander fares - from NZ$119 (£48)

How to buy tickets - the cheapest way!

What's it like on board the Overlander?

What to see on the Auckland-Wellington train ride

- an illustrated account of a journey on the Overlander...

 

On other pages...

Wellington-Picton by Interislander ferry

Wellington-Christchurch by ferry & Tranz-Coastal train

Christchurch-Greymouth by Tranz-Alpine train

Christchurch-Dunedin-Invercargill bus service

Christchurch-Queenstown bus service

Dunedin-Queenstown train+bus service

 

 

 

 Auckland ► Wellington

 

 Wellington ► Auckland

Train: "Capital

Connection" 

The

"Overlander"

Train: The

"Overlander"

"Capital

Connection"

Days of running: Mon-Fri  Daily (summer*)

Fri, Sat, Sun (winter*)

Days of running: Daily (summer*)

Fri, Sat, Sun (winter*)

Mon-Fri
Auckland depart - 07:25 Wellington depart 07:25 17:17
Hamilton depart - 09:50 Palmerston North arr/dep 09:45 19:27
National Park arrive - 12:50 National Park arrive 12:55 -
National Park depart - 13:35 National Park depart 13:40 -
Palmerston North   arrive 06:20 17:00 Hamilton arr/dep 17:00 -
Wellington arrive 08:21 19:25 Auckland arrive 19:20 -

* The Overlander runs daily in the summer season, but since 2006 only on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays in winter.  It will run daily from 30 November 2008 to 26 April 2009 (except Christmas day), then on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from 1 May to 24 September 2009, then daily from 25 September 2009 until May 2010. 

The Overlander has reclining seats, a cafe-bar, an observation lounge and viewing platform, see the photos below.

Latest update summer 2009:  Overlander passengers have increased by over 25% in the last 11 months, and thanks to this success daily operation will now start in late September rather than in late November as originally planned, and will run until May 2010 rather than April 2010 before three-times-a-week operation resumes.  New Zealand's newly-renationalised train operator, Kiwi Rail, is determined to make the Overlander a success, an they're off to a good start!

 Overlander fares

 Auckland - Wellington (winter off-peak season) NZ$ 119 (£48 or US$95)
 Auckland - Wellington (summer peak season) NZ$ 129 (£52 or US$104)
 Special promotional fares Auckland-Wellington From NZ$ 49 (£20 or US$35)

Buy tickets online at www.tranzscenic.co.nz or call 0800 872 467 (in NZ) or  00 64 4 495 0775 (from outside NZ)...

For an unbeatable day's travel experience, the fare is a bargain.  It's easy to buy tickets for the Overlander online at www.tranzscenic.co.nz, whether you live in NZ or overseas.  You pay by credit card and simply print out your own ticket.  Or you can call 0800 TRAINS (0800 872 467) when you're in New Zealand, calls are free.  From outside New Zealand you can call 00 64 4 495 0775.  This is the cheapest way to buy tickets for the Overlander, direct from the train's operator and not through any intermediate agency.  There are no discounts for seniors or students on the Overlander, although there are discounts on the other Tranz Scenic trains.

What's it like on board the "Overlander"?

Auckland to Wellington on the "Overlander" train...   Comfortable reclining seats on the Auckland-Wellington Overlander

Reclining seats, facing direction of travel, all lining up with huge panoramic windows, with loads of legroom even if you're over six feet tall.  Seats recline to about 40 degrees.  Seats are not allocated at booking, but by the train manager before departure.  However, if you book by phone (or book online and then call Tranz  Scenic's freephone number when you get to NZ and quote your booking reference) you can make a seating request.  For example, four friends or family travelling together could request one of the very few bays of 4 seats facing each other around a table, keen photographers could request a seat at the front of the train close to the viewing platform, or you might prefer a seat in the rear coach near the observation lounge.  Requests can't be guaranteed, of course, but it doesn't hurt to ask!  All your heavy baggage is checked in to the baggage van, only hand luggage may be taken into the seating coaches.

Observation lounge at the rear of the "Overlander", photographed at National Park   Open air viewing platform on the Auckland-Wellington "Overlander"   Cafe-bar

Observation lounge:  At the back of the train is a small lounge with glass observation window so you can look back along the track. Great for socialising!  Seats in the lounge are not allocated but free for all passengers to use.  You are asked not to hog the lounge seats for the whole trip!

 

Viewing platform:  At the front of the train at the rear of the baggage car is a small open-air viewing platform, ideal for seeing and photographing the scenery, with no glass in between you and it.  Children must be accompanied.

 

Cafe-bar:  In the centre of the train is a cafe counter selling tea, coffee, wine, beer, spirits, snacks & light microwaveable meals at reasonable prices.  I can recommend the Devonshire cream tea in the afternoon, and a glass of Montana Sauvignon Blanc!  You take your food and drink back to your seat.

Historic coaches:  The Overlander's coaches have been re-built from traditional New Zealand Railways coaches, built to a design which first appeared in 1938.  That's why they may appear strangely antiquated from the outside (apart from their new panoramic windows), but inside the coaches have been refurbished to a very high standard.

What to see on the Auckland to Wellington train ride...

The crew of the Overlander provide a commentary over the train's public address system, pointing out things of interest, but here's a summary of what to look out for on the journey from Auckland to Wellington:

      The Overlander train about to leave Auckland's Britomart station

    Above:  With its observation car attached at the rear, the Auckland-Wellington "Overlander" stands at platform 3 of the Britomart Transportation Centre.  A 423-mile adventure lies ahead...

      The Overlander passing typical New Zealand 'Lord of the Rings' scenery

    Above:  No wonder filmmaker Peter Jackson realised that NZ looked so much like Tolkien's Middle Earth..!.. 

      Scenery from the Overlander.

    Above:  A green & pleasant land...

      The Overlander train calls at National Park.

    Above:  Stretching one's legs at National Park!

     

    The Overlander train crosses the Makatote Viaduct.

    Above:  Crossing the Makatote Viaduct.  This photo was taken from the Overlander's open-air viewing platform.

      A Wellington to Auckland Overlander crosses to Hapuawhenua Viaduct

    Above:  Crossing the Hapuawhenua Viaduct.  This photo was taken through the rear-facing observation lounge window of a northbound Overlander.  Note the original steel viaduct, now a walking trail, on the left...

      The Wellington-Auckland Overlander train passes the 'Cookie Time' DC3

    Above:  The "Cookie Time" DC3!

      Soon after leaving Wellington, the Auckland-bound Overlander train passes along the coast...

    Above:  Coastline north of Wellington, seen in the early morning light from a northbound 'Overlander'...

       

  • The Overlander leaves from Auckland's shiny new Britomart Transportation Centre.  Unlike the airport 23km away, the station couldn't be more convenient.  It's right at the top of Queen Street (Auckland's main street), just across the road from the Devonport and islands ferry terminal, and a few minutes' walk from all the city centre hotels and the Sky Tower.  You should check-in at least 20 minutes before departure at platform 3.  The train manager sets up a podium on the platform, allocates seats to passengers with reservations and sells tickets to any last minute passengers.  His assistant will take your heavy bags and check them into the baggage car.
  • The Britomart transportation centre was opened in 2003, and the building that forms its main hall was originally Auckland's General Post Office, built in 1912 and used as a post office until the 1990s.  Auckland's suburban trains and the Overlander now use five underground railway platforms, reached by two short escalators at the back of the main hall.  Funnily enough, this was the site of Auckland's original railway station (albeit on the surface), right behind the post office, opened in 1885 on land reclaimed from the sea.  This was closed in 1930 when an imposing new railway terminal was opened on Beach Road, an inconvenient 15 minutes' walk from the town centre.  Only in 2003 was this 1930 station closed and the trains once more diverted into the city centre to the new Britomart station.  The impressive 1930 station still stands, it is now a university accommodation centre.  It's virtually a clone of the railway station at Wellington, which you'll see later!

  • The Overlander departs at 07:25 and the diesel struggles up the steep incline out of the station before emerging into the daylight.  You'll see Auckland harbour and container terminal to the left, and a glimpse of the derelict platforms of Auckland's 1930 station to the right.  The train swings right onto a causeway across the Orakei Basin (a submerged crater of an extinct volcano), passing occasional local trains as it snakes its way through the Auckland suburbs.

  • From Auckland to the first major stop, the Overlander passes towns, villages, light industry and farmland.  There are some very scenic sections, with extinct volcanoes dotted in places over the landscape.  The train runs along the Waikato river and passes right by Mount Taupiri (287metres), the sacred mountain of the Waikato people.  Many ancestors and chiefs are buried on Taupiri, including all the Maori kings.

  • Hamilton is the Overlander's first major stop, where there's time to get off and stretch your legs.  Here, the diesel locomotive is usually changed for an electric.  The central part of the Auckland-Wellington North Island Main Trunk Railway between Hamilton and Palmerston North was electrified in 1988, allowing heavier loads to be hauled over the difficult terrain.  Several new bits of track ("deviations") were also constructed in the 1980s, easing most severe curves and gradients.

  • Beyond Hamilton, the scenery starts to hot up.  The flat farmland immediately south of Hamilton is amongst the richest in the world, grazed by sheep, cattle and red deer.  You'll cross the boundary between Waikato and King Country, and see the volcano Mt Pirongia (959 metres high) in the distance.  King Country is the area once ruled by the Maori Kings.  In the 1870s, the New Zealand government admitted that it had no real control over this area.  However, after 1882 an agreement was reached with the kings which allowed a railway to be constructed.  Surveying started in 1883 and construction in 1885, though it would be another 23 years before Auckland and Wellington were finally linked by rail.

  • The train calls at Te Kuiti (alight here for the Waitomo glow-worm caves) and on the left as it leaves the station you'll see a king-size statue of a man shearing a sheep.  Te Kuiti bills itself as the sheep shearing capital of the world..!  A few minutes later the Overlander crosses the Waititi viaduct, built in 1887 and the oldest viaduct on the North Island Main Trunk Railway.

  • For the next hour or two, you'll start to appreciate just how lush and green New Zealand is.  The train winds its way through valleys, hills, rivers, and you can almost see those hobbit holes in the hillocks!  Indeed, Peter Jackson (filmmaker and producer of the "Lord of the Rings" films) has said that it was on board an Auckland-Wellington train aged eighteen and reading Tolkien for the first time, that he realised how like Tolkien's Middle Earth the New Zealand landscape is.  The train follows the picturesque Ongarue river all the way to Taumaruni.

  •  
  • About 30 minutes after departing Taumarunui, the traincrew will make an announcement that the Overlander is about to enter the world-famous Raurimu Spiral.  Actually a couple of major hairpin bends then a couple of loops and two tunnels, all built through thick rainforest, the Raurimu Spiral is how the railway engineers building the North Island Main Trunk got the line to climb 221 metres (700 feet) in less than 6 kilometres (3½ miles).  The train twists, turns, and doubles back on itself as it climbs.  As a result of the spiral, Raurimu to National Park is 11 km by rail, though only 5.6 km as the crow flies..!  Designed in 1898, the spiral was adopted in favour of an earlier proposal for a longer way round that would have been 19km long and involved several difficult viaducts.

  • Just after clearing the top of the Raurimu Spiral, the train arrives at National Park station, 7 km by road from Tongariro National Park Village.  Northbound and southbound Overlanders meet here and swap crews.  The train stops for 45 minutes and you can stretch your legs, take photographs, or use the station's excellent buffet.  Be warned, a huge queue will form at the buffet counter minutes after the train's arrival..!  On a clear day, you can see the huge volcanoes in the distance.

  • After the train leaves National Park, you pass over a succession of imposing viaducts, in thick bush over huge river gorges.  The first is the famous Makatote Viaduct, 11km south of National Park, the highest of the lot and a huge steel structure 860 feet long and 258 feet above the river.

  • A minute or two later, the Overlander passes the site at Manganuioteao where engineers building the North Island Main Trunk from Wellington northwards and from Auckland southwards finally met and New Zealand's Prime Minister Joseph Ward drove in the final spike in 1908.  When completed, the new railway reduced the Auckland to Wellington journey from 3 days of train, stagecoach, river steamer and train, to just 14 hours by direct train.  A small grey obelisk marks the spot on the right, though you may not notice it as the Overlander swishes by.

  • A few viaducts further on, the huge Hapuawhenua viaduct was replaced in 1985 and is now a concrete structure, taking a shorter route across the valley.  You can see the original 1908 (now disused) steel viaduct curving round the valley on your left.

  • At Ohakune you'll see another New Zealand peculiarity, small wooden houses originally built by New Zealand Railways for employees.  There are thousands of these houses, all built to the same handful of designs, all over New Zealand.

  • Ten minutes after Ohakune the Overlander passes over the Tangiwai Bridge, across the Whangaehu River.  After the huge viaducts in the Tongariro national park, this seems a very small and unimpressive bridge, but it was the scene of New Zealand's worst ever rail disaster in 1953.  A small memorial stands next to the track on the right.  It was Christmas Eve 1953, and a lake had formed in the crater of Mt Ruapehu.  The wall of this crater burst, sending a "lahar" or 6-metre high torrent of water, mud and volcanic rock down the mountainside and along the river.  The lahar washed away a bridge pier, just before the 3pm Wellington to Auckland express reached the bridge at around 10:21pm, with 285 people on board.  151 people died as the locomotive and five 2nd class coaches plunged into the river and were washed downstream.  A sixth, 1st class car teetered on the brink allowing time for al but one passenger to be rescued, then plunged into the river.  Today, bridge piers have been strengthened and an early warning devices have been placed upstream.

  • Ten minutes later, the train passes the army camp at Waiouru, running through barren country some 800 metres above sea level.  There is little vegetation here except grass, because of the altitude.  After another 15-20 minutes the train doubles back on itself around the Turangarere Horseshoe, a huge hairpin bend around a small green valley.

  • Soon, the train starts following the massive and dramatic Rangitikei river gorge, and passes over a series of huge viaducts and occasional tunnel.  Once in Mangaweka, look out on the left for the cafe with a DC3 Dakota aircraft stuck on top of it, painted in "Cookie Time" colours!

  • The Overlander descends off the volcanic plateau to Marton, named after the birthplace of Captain Cook near Middlesbrough.  Marton is on the Wellington-New Plymouth railway, and it is the point where they started building the North Island Main Trunk into the interior.

  • The train descends further down the side of a hill, curves around a golf course and crosses the Rangitiki River.  Shortly afterwards it stops at Feilding, which has won many "best kept town" competitions and is proclaimed on the station signs as "Friendly Feilding, New Zealand's most beautiful town".

  • Twenty minutes after Feilding, the train arrives at Palmerston North's Franklin station.  Until 1963, the railway ran right through the middle of Palmerston North's main square.  This was not very convenient for either New Zealand Railways or the townspeople, so a new station on a deviation around the outskirts of the town was constructed.  Here, the electric locomotive is usually exchanged for a diesel, and you have a few minutes to stretch your legs on the platform.

  • An hour or two of rich green farmland follows, before the train reaches the coast.  The Overlander runs along a very scenic stretch of coastline for a fair way, with great views of the sand and the breaking waves.  It may be dark by now, but on the northbound journey the coastal views in the early morning sun are wonderful.

  • The coastline gives way to the picturesque Porirua Harbour and a stop at Porirua station.

  • The Overlander heads on to finish it's run at Wellington's imposing railway station, opened in 1937 and a stone's throw from the New Zealand Parliament buildings and city centre.  You've done it, you've travelled overland between New Zealand's two biggest cities, all 423 miles of it.  I hope you'll agree, it was an epic trip.

A brief bit of history...

  • Surveys for the route of the North Island Main Trunk Railway started in 1883, led by one John Rochfort.  Building work started in 1885, and the line was finally completed in 1908.

  • From the 1920s to the 1950s, the most prestigious train on the route was the "Night Limited", an overnight sleeping-car train that would have been used by businessmen, politicians, in fact anyone who was anyone travelling between Auckland and Wellington.  With fewer stops and a lighter load it could manage the journey in about 12 hours.

  • There was usually also a slower overnight train with more stops, leaving Auckland and Wellington around 3pm and getting in next day in the early morning.  This had seats but no sleepers, and it was the train involved in the accident at Tangiwai.

  • The third of the three main daily Auckland-Wellington trains was the "Daylight Limited", also a fast limited stop train that as its name suggests ran during the day, from morning till night.  When it switched from steam to diesel haulage in 1963, it was renamed the "Scenic Daylight".

  • In 1968, the "Scenic Daylight" was replaced by fast railcars with refurbished interiors, built by Fiat.  This was successful, and New Zealand Railways bought several brand-new stainless-steel railcars from Japan, which it named "Silver Fern".  With comfortable seats and hostess service, these fast railcars ran the daytime service between Auckland and Wellington from 1971 until 1991, when they were replaced by the "Overlander".  You can still see Silver Fern railcars around as at least one has been preserved and runs occasional charter trains.

  • In 1971, the "Night Limited" was replaced by the "Silver Star", a prestige sleeping-car train which used brand-new stainless-steel sleepers and dining-car also bought from Japan.  Unfortunately, airline competition forced this service to close before the decade was out, and in 1979 it was replaced by the "Northerner".  You can still travel in the stainless steel "Silver Star" coaches between Singapore and Bangkok, as they were bought and rebuilt for the luxurious Eastern & oriental Express tourist train.

  • The "Northerner" had both seats and sleepers until 1987, when the last sleeping-cars between Auckland and Wellington were withdrawn.  The Northerner continued with seats only until it was withdrawn in 2004.  There is now no convenient overnight train between Auckland and Wellington.

  • The "Overlander" was introduced in 1991, increasing capacity compared to the Silver Fern railcars it replaced. 

  • The Overlander was almost withdrawn itself in 2006, but was saved, albeit reduced to 3 times a week (as opposed to daily) in the off-peak season.  It now remains as the only train between Auckland and Wellington.

Watch the video - The Overlander on the Raurimu Spiral

The video was taken from the Overlander's tail-end observation lounge, and some shots from the open-air viewing platform, as it climbs the famous Raurimu Spiral.

The 'Goodbye' in the title is no longer necessary, as the Overlander has been saved.  Take it the next time you need to go from Auckland to Wellington!

Video by iafilm

 

 

Railpasses for New Zealand

Tranz-Scenic Railpass:  Buy online in UK...

There is an excellent Tranz Scenic Railpass giving unlimited travel on all Tranz-Scenic trains, and (if you buy the ferry-inclusive version), the Inter-Island Ferry between Wellington and Picton.  If you're going to travel on all 3 trains from Auckland to Wellington, across on the ferry and down to Christchurch and on to Greymouth, the 7-day pass makes a lot of sense.  To buy online in the UK, see www.internationalrail.com.  For more information, see www.tranzscenic.co.nz.  Once you have a railpass, it's easy to make seat reservations to go with it simply by calling Tranz Scenic on 0800 TRAINS (0800 872 467) or from outside New Zealand, 00 64 4 495 0775.

 

 

Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable

It's probably the most adventurous timetable ever produced... The famous Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable has train, bus and shipping services for all of New Zealand, Australia, Asia, America and Africa.  It is published every two months.  No serious traveller should be without it!

It costs £13.99 from the bureau de change section of any branch of Thomas Cook, or it can be order by phone on 01733 416477 (+44 1733 416477 from outside the UK).

Buy the latest edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.  Alternatively, you can buy the twice-yearly  Independent Traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk also with shipping worldwide.

   

Recommended guidebooks

Lonely Planet New Zealand - click to buy onlineRough Guide to New Zealand - click to buy onlineMake sure you take a good guidebook.  The Lonely Planets and Rough Guides are easily the best out there for the independent traveller.  Both guides provide an excellent level of practical information and historical and cultural background.  You won't regret buying one of these guides..!

Click to buy online at Amazon.co.uk...

Lonely Planet New Zealand    Rough Guide to New Zealand

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.


Travel insurance...

Get insured...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy after clicking these links.

  If you're a UK resident, try Direct Line whom I've used myself on many occasions, or Columbus Direct.

      If you're resident in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct Australia.

  If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, but if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85%.  It cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also works for laptop or PDA data access.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.


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