Hamilton to Wellington, Monday 24 January




For today we were taking our bikes by train from Hamilton in the north of North Island to Wellington in the south ready to start our exploration of South Island. We took the Tranz Scenic Overlander train which is one of only 2 a day.

The object of these trains is to view the scenery as much as transport with frequent stops and long hauls up the many hills with scenic commentary. The 400 mile trip took 10 hours.

Bike arrangements were quite good with the bikes pre-booked and we put them in the luggage van.

The train journey included a famous spiral where the line curves round on itself to gain altitude.

We got into Wellington about 9.15pm as the train was running an hour late due to speed restrictions on the line