New Zealand may be in the headlines for the Women’s World Cup, but a leisurely train journey reveals the country’s true beauty and variety
Women’s World Cup Sat—Thu (check listings) BBC1 & 2/ITV1 & 4
MATT CHARLTON - 4 August 2023
t’s one thing, as a football fan with a packed schedule, to zip through World Cup host cities at the rate of a kangaroo on amphetamines. But after a 24-hour flight, for most travellers arriving in New Zealand, a dose of slow travel through one of the most picturesque landscapes on earth might be just what the chief medic ordered. The good news is that NZ has not only a solid “regular” rail infrastructure, but also offers some very special scenic trains. Great Journeys New Zealand (greatjourneysnz.com) has three major rail trips: the Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine will get you halfway down the country’s South Island – via Christchurch on the east coast to the aptly named Greymouth on the west – but the one I’ve chosen takes in the length of the North Island.
The Northern Explorer – the clue is indeed in the name – gets you from Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, where the Open- ing Ceremony and inaugural match of the Women’s World Cup took place, to its far more artsy capital Wellington, in around 11 hours. That’s plenty of time to gaze out of the panoramic windows that reach right up towards the ceiling, taking in the gorges, ravines, mountains, viaducts and... let’s be honest... the countryside that doubled as Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. It’s the country’s longest passenger train service, stopping at the cultured towns of Hamilton and Palmerston, wild Tongariro National Park and Otorohanga (for Waitomo’s glow-worm-lit caves), outdoorsy Ohakune and Taumarunui, before ending at Wellington.
A journey this length demands an early(ish) start, so as the sun rises over Auckland’s skyline on a thankfully clear day, I arrive at the edge- of-town railway station, my bag being checked in airport-style before I take my spacious seat. One cheese scone and unexpected nap later, I awake among rolling hills on a luminous day. The morning light cascades through the conservatory-like windows, and we make our way through a landscape that is part drama, part fairy tale.
Lush green blanket-like fields roll ever onwards, occasionally interrupted by a river, a steep drop, a viaduct... We climb slowly into the mountainous regions, the stations bearing an increasing resemblance to those you see in westerns (these are frontier towns, too). You’re able to alight and break this journey up, and all the towns I pass through seem to be geared towards this one endeavour, but what good is a journey if there isn’t a little endurance involved? We circle Mount Ruapehu, then chug on, finally brushing the suburbs of Wellington, sidling up the edge of Porirua Harbour. I imagine how pleasant the commute must be for residents. Ten and a half hours have passed easily, but as the city comes into view, I’m eager to hop off and return to somewhere I lived for six months two decades ago.
Wellington has always been Auckland’s unruly little brother. This is typified in my artsy accommodation, the QT Wellington (qthotels. com) on the sweeping harbour, just across from the Sky Stadium, where nine World Cup matches, including a quarter-final, are being held. Cuba St is the epicentre of the city’s alternative culture, with some of the best coffee you will ever taste to be found in the suitably named Fidel’s, and boutique shops aplenty. Wellington also has a strong museum showing in the shape of Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of NZ, and City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi. It could be time to fly home now, but I am to press onwards over the Cook Strait to Dunedin, the South Island’s only host city; the extreme sports capital of Queenstown; and the backpacker paradise of Marlborough. Like I said, it’s worth spending the time here. To go home now would be a bit of an own goal.
t’s one thing, as a football fan with a packed schedule, to zip through World Cup host cities at the rate of a kangaroo on amphetamines. But after a 24-hour flight, for most travellers arriving in New Zealand, a dose of slow travel through one of the most picturesque landscapes on earth might be just what the chief medic ordered. The good news is that NZ has not only a solid “regular” rail infrastructure, but also offers some very special scenic trains. Great Journeys New Zealand (greatjourneysnz.com) has three major rail trips: the Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine will get you halfway down the country’s South Island – via Christchurch on the east coast to the aptly named Greymouth on the west – but the one I’ve chosen takes in the length of the North Island.
The Northern Explorer – the clue is indeed in the name – gets you from Auckland, the most populous city in New Zealand, where the Open- ing Ceremony and inaugural match of the Women’s World Cup took place, to its far more artsy capital Wellington, in around 11 hours. That’s plenty of time to gaze out of the panoramic windows that reach right up towards the ceiling, taking in the gorges, ravines, mountains, viaducts and... let’s be honest... the countryside that doubled as Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. It’s the country’s longest passenger train service, stopping at the cultured towns of Hamilton and Palmerston, wild Tongariro National Park and Otorohanga (for Waitomo’s glow-worm-lit caves), outdoorsy Ohakune and Taumarunui, before ending at Wellington.
A journey this length demands an early(ish) start, so as the sun rises over Auckland’s skyline on a thankfully clear day, I arrive at the edge- of-town railway station, my bag being checked in airport-style before I take my spacious seat. One cheese scone and unexpected nap later, I awake among rolling hills on a luminous day. The morning light cascades through the conservatory-like windows, and we make our way through a landscape that is part drama, part fairy tale.
Lush green blanket-like fields roll ever onwards, occasionally interrupted by a river, a steep drop, a viaduct... We climb slowly into the mountainous regions, the stations bearing an increasing resemblance to those you see in westerns (these are frontier towns, too). You’re able to alight and break this journey up, and all the towns I pass through seem to be geared towards this one endeavour, but what good is a journey if there isn’t a little endurance involved? We circle Mount Ruapehu, then chug on, finally brushing the suburbs of Wellington, sidling up the edge of Porirua Harbour. I imagine how pleasant the commute must be for residents. Ten and a half hours have passed easily, but as the city comes into view, I’m eager to hop off and return to somewhere I lived for six months two decades ago.
Wellington has always been Auckland’s unruly little brother. This is typified in my artsy accommodation, the QT Wellington (qthotels. com) on the sweeping harbour, just across from the Sky Stadium, where nine World Cup matches, including a quarter-final, are being held. Cuba St is the epicentre of the city’s alternative culture, with some of the best coffee you will ever taste to be found in the suitably named Fidel’s, and boutique shops aplenty. Wellington also has a strong museum showing in the shape of Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of NZ, and City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi. It could be time to fly home now, but I am to press onwards over the Cook Strait to Dunedin, the South Island’s only host city; the extreme sports capital of Queenstown; and the backpacker paradise of Marlborough. Like I said, it’s worth spending the time here. To go home now would be a bit of an own goal.
MATT CHARLTON