After sailing the Tasman Sea for two days and cruising Milford Sound, our first land excursion in New Zealand started with a round-trip scenic train ride from Port Chalmers to Pukerangi (Middlemarch) through the Taieri Gorge. We boarded the train at the port, just a few steps from our docked cruise ship at Port Chalmers, and rode past the town of Dunedin and several other smaller towns. We were prepared to see flocks of sheep, as we've always been told that there are more sheep than humans living in New Zealand, but as we rode past the town and neighborhoods, we barely saw any sheep; instead, we saw cattle! The train tour took us through the rugged South Island terrain where we saw deep canyons carved by the Taieri River, negotiated very narrow tunnels (original tunneling done by explosives and shovels) where it seemed as though there was only a 6" clearance on both sides for the train cars to pass through, and dramatic viaducts. The tour guide commented about the "blasting holes" along a stretch of the mountain sides as the laborers made way for the railway and below, along the river, were gold prospectors had staked their claims and mines. He also mentioned the wild-growing New Zealand tea trees known as "Mānuka and Kānuka" shrub-trees, native kauri (one of the world's largest and most ancient) trees, New Zealand Christmas trees or "Pōhutukawa", and many more native evergreens in the forests. The tour guide also commented about the Monterey pine trees forming the planted and harvestable forest. When we reached Pukerangi (Middlemarch) station, we deboarded the train. We stretched our legs walking around a small open market with local vendors selling edibles, handmade wool accessories, and quilted items. At the same time, the locomotive did a reverse slide to pull the train back into Dunedin. The clean, brisk, and fresh air at Pukerangi was exhilarating, and we almost didn't want to leave this remote station and "off-the-grid" location. We only saw ONE house near the station, surrounded by open plains, rolling hills, and views of New Zealand's Southern Alps. It may have taken us 2 - 2.25 hours to reach Pukerangi, but we barely noticed the time as the landscapes and forests enthralled us. During the train ride, we were served a box lunch and a bottle of water. The train stewardess commented that they also have a pantry car, or snack car, where one could purchase more snacks or beverages if needed. We returned to the beautiful and historic Dunedin Train Station around 2:30 pm, which, according to the train timetable, was accurate. The round trip took us around 5 to 5.5 hours. After which, we spent some time browsing around the town of Dunedin and having a wonderful lunch of Bluff oysters and fish and chips. read more

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"Feel the rattle and rumble of your vintage railcar as you wind through the mountains of Taieri River Gorge." That's the soundbite that pulls you in, to take this 4.5 hour total journey to go inland by rail to see the impressive Taieri Gorge on the South Island of New Zealand. It's designed to fit into the schedule of day visitors coming in from a cruise ship docked in nearby Port Chalmers. In fact, the cruise boats offer it as a ship-sponsored excursion for an exclusive train dedicated to only cruisers. It also has the convenience of being picked up/dropped off right very close to the cruise boat (whereas you have to find your own way if buying directly from provider). And of course, there is a guarantee that the ship will not leave without any passengers that are delayed on a ship-sponsored trip. But one will pay a steep upcharge for this: my brother calculated it to be possibly a 300% markup and it seemed that it cost more as you go up the cruise line chain (i.e. a similar trip cost $100 more on Celebrity than on Royal Caribbean). We did go direct with the vendor and arrived to the train station about 15 minutes before scheduled departure. Tickets are mobile and have assigned seats. The train cars have seating meant to be used for long distances (though there were no overhead compartments for baggage, so any bags brought need to be stowed between your legs). The seats are configured with four facing each other across a table (so eating and/or playing cards would be easy). The tracks are dedicated for this trip for tourists so the return trip is exactly the same, except in reverse (i.e. if you were facing forward going there, you will be facing backwards going back). Also because the best views of the gorge are on the right side of the train going there, the conductor recommended that we switch seats on the return trip to let everyone get their chance for the views. Speaking of the conductor, he was on the intercom giving facts and observations throughout our journey but it was hard to hear (most people were having animated conversations with each other). The cars themselves have large windows for easy observation and in some places we were quite high up with some fantastic views. The train and the rail are maintained exclusively for this trip, and thus depend on visitors to keep going. It was a full train, so it seems like it continues to do well. Because we were on the non-cruise trip, most of the people on the train seemed to be non-cruise visitors. We got to learn a lot about New Zealand from our neighbors, who were visiting from other parts of the country. Like a lot of excursions, the enjoyment of the trip is enhanced by interaction with your fellow travelers, so a bit of luck involved. They do serve food and (alcoholic) beverages on the train, but requires you to go to another car to purchase and bring back. They had cans of local beer (we tried both Emerson's Super Quench and Emerson's Hazed and Confused). We split a hot ham and cheese sandwich along with various chips and even a charcutier tray. There is a long period of time inside the gorge where there is no cell service, thus if you need to pay using a credit card during that time, you would leave your name and seat number so you can pay later once re-entering cell service. At the half-way point, we were given a 20 minute break where we could get off and stretch our legs a bit. There were vendors situated in the area, and many of the passengers took the opportunity to interact and purchase, if they so chose. This was the one train for the day, so the vendors were waiting around just for that moment. The return trip definitely seemed longer than the trip there (even though it was the same time-wise), and have to admit I missed some scenic views because I wasn't paying particular attention. This is a definite must if you are a train-lover. The entertainment is about the train as much about the scenery. But if you consider trains just as another mode of transportation and nothing more, 4.5 hours is a really long time to be sitting in a cramped space for some really nice but relatively short views. I happen to be the former, so I really enjoyed the trip. read more

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A neighbor recommended that we take the Taieri Gorge Railway trip so we booked it through our cruise line. The train cars were waiting for us in Port Chalmers. Some of the cars were vintage, others from the 1960's. We were seated in one of the 1960's cars. The cars are hosted by volunteers who provided the drinks and food during our ride. They are train buffs but sure do work hard for the opportunity to ride and meet people. There was narration throughout the trip. We had a brief stop in Hindon to get out and stretch our legs and then a longer stop at the end in Pukerangi. Local artisans had tables set up there selling wool items and other hand-made souvenirs. Heading back to Port Chalmers we stopped at the Dunedin Railway Station for about 20 minutes, enough time to take pictures of this beautiful station, inside and out. Overall an enjoyable tour though too much sitting for me. read more

We took the train for the half day trip to Taieri Gorge. The trip was fun and we saw many places that you wouldn't see from the road. This train goes through some very steep countryside and across a number of bridges. We did the ride in Mar 2017 read more

Taieri Gorge Railway - Tours Near Me - Dunedin, OTA

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It blows my mind that I lived in Dunedin for 5 years and never even knew about the Taieri Gorge Train. Granted, I was a student who was probably more concerned with getting OTP at Gardies and the train doesn't actually go anywhere useful (Middlemarch & Pukerangi) but still.... In fact, the only reason that I found out about the Taieri Gorge Railway was because I was did the Central Otago Rail Trail, which ends in Middlemarch. My family were taking the shuttle back to QT but I needed to get to Dunedin and after a little research, I found out there was a train. Chuffed! Who doesn't love a train ride.... Arriving at the Pukerangi station - a tiny wooden shack surrounded by farmland, I didn't have very high expectations. I thought we'd be travelling in an old musty train through flat farmland. Well, I was wrong. The train was actually reasonably modern with large panoramic windows and the scenery was spectacular. The train hugged to the side of the steep cliffs with water rushing beneath. It was actually somewhat exhilarating. We saw hawks, salmon and even a family of wild mountain goats huddled together on a sheer-faced ledge. All up the trip took a couple of hours - from Pukerangi to the Dunedin Railway Station. I was told you can do return trips in a day so if you're visiting Dunedin and want a relaxing tourist activity I'd definitely recommend this! Fabulous way to see South Island scenery - I only wish I'd done it earlier! read more