Rails and Trails

  DAY 1:
After our usual morning tea stop we travel across the Hauraki Plains and into the Karangahake Gorge to have lunch (included) at the Waikino Railway Station before boarding our heritage train for an excursion to the town of Waihi, to our awaiting coach. This railway line was once part of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, a vital link to the Bay of Plenty, before the Kaimai Tunnel was built in 1978. We arrive at Whakatane’s White Island Rendezvous Motel late afternoon. Dinner is at the Whakatane Sportfishing Club.

  DAY 2:
A short distance away is the newest of NZ’s Railcart Adventures. This three hour self-drive Railcart (Golf Cart on Rails) experience over 4 bridges and through numerous cuttings with native bush also includes morning tea, a short bush walk, animal feeding and a sausage sizzle. We are able to spend some time in Whakatane before pushing on to Rotorua to overnight at the Holiday Inn, Rotorua.

  DAY 3:
After breakfast we are guests of the Redwoods Treewalk – Suspended high above the forest floor, encounter 75 metre tall giant redwoods as you walk across eco-suspended bridges and platforms intricately designed to honour and accentuate the stunning natural environment (the walk begins with a spiral staircase to get you to the 9 metre level, which is suitable for walking sticks. If you don’t have a head for heights there is a lovely bush walk at ground level). Has all that walking made you hungry? We move on to Tirau for a lunch stop and time to check out the crafts and corrugated iron signs. Arrive Auckland late afternoon, after a comfort/ice-cream/bacon stop at Mercer.