Over our years of traveling to many different locations, one specific activity we are always on the lookout for is scenic train rides. We have done scenic train rides in Japan, Norway, Scotland, and Australia. It has become a little bit our thing. One vacation we were passing through Maine and found a scenic train there.
So we randomly ran into a scenic train in the Northland area of New Zealand, near Kawakawa. Clearly a labor of love of the locals, not a lot of tourists. But it was cute.
Then, during a more serious part of our travels, I saw that Dunedin, a university town in South part of the South Island (or the “Deep South” as they call it here) we also saw they had a scenic train ride inland. So we signed up for that.
Well worth the time, beautiful views, even if it was too early in the morning for some.