The Silver Fern rail car in Whangarei. Photo / Supplied
Tina Trenkner-Meade rides from Auckland to Whangarei on the Silver Fern railcar.
The train: The Silver Fern railcar, built in 1974.
My seat: The dream: A comfortably wide window seat and an empty aisle seat next to me. Power outlets available if you wanted to plug in.
Cost: The chartered train ride, as part of a three-night package tour with Pukekohe Travel, cost $1,387 twin share. Single supplement was $220.
How full: 64 passengers on board, but the train could hold about 90.
Fellow passengers: Mostly pensioners. Some train buffs. And a 31-year-old travel writer who likes sipping wine and getting lost in her train of thought.
Trip time: Roughly 5 hours. The trains can't go much faster than 50 km/h on the rails.
Food and drink: Susanne and her team kept us all satisfied with the lunch and drink service. We rarely went an hour without an offer of a hot drink, beer or wine (via cash bar).
Entertainment: A KiwiRail magazine. Otherwise, bring your own entertainment: One brought her knitting. Others played card games. Don't depend on internet access: There's no Wi-Fi on board and no 3G during some parts of the journey. Just appreciate the chance to go offline and let the green, lush scenery entertain you.
Would I ride this again: Absolutely. Why is there only a chartered passenger service between Whangarei and Auckland? Is there not enough demand for passenger rail up to the Winterless North?
Just 90 minutes from Melbourne, this hot spring retreat might outshine NZ's offerings.