Escorted Tour

Lower North Island Rail Tour

Including Hawkes Bay

Our fifth Lower North Island Rail Tour continues to be a popular addition to our New Zealand Rail tours programme.

Experience the scenic Lower North Island in style, which offers a rail experience and uninterrupted views not seen when travelling by road.

Our train departs from Auckland, taking us through the lush Waikato and King Country farmland and up the iconic Raurimu Spiral to the Central Plateau - hopefully with stunning views of Tongariro and Ruapehu before arriving into Wellington for a two night stay.

A morning city tour highlights New Zealand’s capital and the leisure afternoon allows time to explore Te Papa and the picturesque waterfront.

We then travel north on our exclusive chartered train through the sunny Manawatu Gorge to Dannevirke before carrying on to Napier.

Our time in Hawkes Bay includes lunch at the Mission Estate, an Art Deco Tour and free time to explore. Plus a behind the scenes orchard experience.

Continue to the Central Plateau before arriving at the iconic Chateau Tongariro for a one night stay before returning home by train.

Each night we stay in comfortable hotels with private facilities and include breakfast.

Morning, afternoon teas and lunches on the train are also included most days as well as many dinners.

Our tour escort and hosts ensure your seven day tour is relaxing, fun and memorable.

This is a special tour; seats are limited and will sell quickly.

We look forward to welcoming you on our Lower North Island Rail Tour.

Your travel itinerary

Thursday 26 November

Auckland – Wellington

Lunch Dinner

Board the train in Auckland and travel along the main trunk line for the daylight adventure to Wellington. Among today’s highlights are the circular climb up the famous engineering feat – the Raurimu Spiral to the Central Plateau and Tongariro National Park with spectacular views of Mt Ruapehu. Continue on to Ohakune, Waiouru and alongside the Rangitikei River to Wellington. Enjoy a welcome dinner at our centrally located hotel.

Friday 27 November

Wellington

Breakfast

This morning enjoy a city tour including Mt Victoria and the spectacular Wellington Rose Gardens.

In the afternoon and evening, enjoy free time in the Capital.

Saturday 28 November

Wellington - Napier

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

This morning depart on our exclusive charter train and travel via Palmerston North before entering the rarely travelled Manawatu Gorge to Dannevirke. Later we arrive into Napier transfer to our central city hotel. Dinner is included.

Sunday 29 November

Napier

Breakfast Lunch

This morning we visit the famous Hawkes Bay Farmers Market. Explore the fabulous array of stall holders selling fresh berries and fruit; locally raised meats; artisan jams and preserves, freshly baked breads and pastries; cheeses, sweet treats and more. Then we travel to a local orchard for lunch and a behind the scenes experience.

Monday 30 November

Napier

Breakfast Lunch

A leisurely start before a mid-morning, guided Art Deco tour and onto the Mission Estate Vineyard for an included lunch.

Return to the hotel mid-afternoon with the evening free to relax and enjoy a meal at your leisure.

Tuesday 01 December

Napier – Chateau Tongariro

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

After breakfast, we begin with day travelling to the Central Plateau where we enjoy lunch at the Waiouru Army Museum. After we continue to the Chateau Tongariro with time to relax and enjoy this hidden gem of the Central North Island before our farewell dinner.

Wednesday 02 December

National Park – Auckland

Breakfast Lunch

After a relaxing morning, transfer to the National Park Station to continue our rail journey north. Experience the famous Raurimu Spiral for a second time before arriving in Auckland.

Inclusions

• Travel by train Auckland – Wellington. Wellington – Napier. National Park – Auckland.

• Six nights hotel accommodation (see details)

• Cooked breakfasts daily

• Five lunches and three dinners

• Morning or afternoon tea on board the train

• All sightseeing and entrance fees as specified

• Napier Art Deco guided tour

• Lunch at the Mission Estate

• Wellington City Tour

• Behind the scenes orchard experience in Napier

• Lunch and entrance to the Waiouru Army Museum

• Commentaries provided by your experienced drivers and local guides

• All gratuities

• Experienced Tour Escort

Cost

Cost Per Person * Auckland - Auckland	Twin Share	Single
Cost*	$2,895	$3,495

*This is a cash or cheque price. Credit cards will incur a 2% fee
*Itinerary and costs subject to change, airline and fuel charges and currency fluctuations prior to final payment

Subject to KiwiRail Confirmation and Schedule

Exclusions

• Cancellation insurance

• Items of a personal nature

Booking Conditions

• A non-refundable deposit of $400 per person will secure a place on the tour

• FULL PAYMENT is due no later than 16 October 2020

• Bookings made after 16 October 2020 2020 will require full payment

• All cancellation charges are on a per-person basis.

Cancellations

• Deposit – non-refundable.

• After 16 October 2020 – no refund.

• All cancellation charges are on a per-person basis.

Travel Insurance

We strongly advise all participants to take out suitable travel insurance to cover cancellation costs. Please ask us for a quote.

General Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Travelling alone?

Travelling alone? Don’t hesitate to book if you are on your own. Although we are unable to guarantee twin share accommodation for participants travelling individually, we will do our utmost to match suitable participants in share accommodation to avoid the single room supplement. For those who prefer, we have rooms for sole use.

Advantages of joining our chartered rail tours

•A unique tour tailored to suit mature holidaymakers who want to see New Zealand in a well-paced, hassle-free manner

• Experience a modern, comfortable train not running to a scheduled timetable

• Experience stopovers in places not generally available to tourists, to take in local sights and taste regional foods

• Appreciate being able to walk about, comfortable seats and enjoy complimentary morning and afternoon teas about, comfortable seats and enjoy complimentary morning and afternoon teas

Highlights

• A relaxing rail journey along the length of the main trunk line

•The scenery of the Central Hawkes Bay

•Art Deco Napier with a lunch at Mission Estate Vineyard

•Behind the scenes orchard experience in Napier

•Lunch at the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka

•Wellington city tour

•Leisure time in Wellington to explore

•Travelling by train from Wellington to Napier

•Lunch at the Waiouru Army Museum

•A night at the iconic Chateau Tongariro hotel

Health and Fitness

At times, entering and exiting the train can be very demanding for those with limited mobility A good standard of fitness is required and clients should be independently mobile with the ability to walk 400m unaided. Mobility frames are not practical or permitted.

Booking Form

Please click here to download a copy of the booking form

Note: Pukekohe Travel reserves the right to correct errors and omissions on our website without recourse.
* Itinerary subject to change