Top Wellington Rail Services

Train was delayed but made up most of the time. Arrival at Auckland not far behind schedule. Seats comfortable. Happened to sit next to a lovely young and sympatico woman who was very helpful re suggestions of what to see and do in Auckland. Cafeteria stocks pretty decent food and the coffee is good everywhere in NZ. Toilets can get smelly but that’s people for you. Learn to aim, folks! Although cold and rainy, a great way to see the brilliantly emerald green landscapes, new born lambs etc. Staff very good.

Great experience topped with booking Scenic Plus. The food and friendliness of the staff are exceptional. Even the service once we arrived in Auckland was great, senior staff waited with us until an Uber arrived to pick us up

What a great trip. All the staff are friendly, informative and chatty. It was a long day and we all enjoyed the experience. Thank you Wilma, Eva, Sue, Leah and the lovely driver who sat down to answer all our questions!

Lovely comfortable train. Light and bright. Friendly staff and amazing views. Lots of useful commentary which you can also download from their App for more detail. The history of the railway and the towns along the way is interesting. The feats of engineering to make that line possible are awesome. We travelled the entire way from Wellington to Auckland.

It is a long adventure with many views of rolling hills of farm country. There were a few bridges with spectacular river views below. Exiting the train in Aukland was difficult as it was raining and windy with very little cover. We retrieved luggage and again back outside without cover to get a ride.

The meeting time was respected, the screening formalities and the baggage handling were perfectly carried out. The train was on time from Wellington.

The train trip from Wellington to Auckland on the Northern Explorer was a highlight of our trip to New Zealand. Everything went well. Check in was easy and efficient. Seats were comfortable. We shared a table with a couple who were from Hamilton and were able to give us lots of information about the places that we passed through. The scenery was amazing. Rich, lush countryside and mountains. Sudden dramatic gorges, rushing rivers and impossible viaducts. Views of volcanoes alongside cattle, sheep and turkeys. I wish we could do it again and maybe one day we will.

It is an enjoyable although long day, there is some amazing scenery. The information provided during the trip was interesting.

A great trip. Absolutely amazing countryside. Loved it. Very relaxing. Nice food in cafe. Loved the open carriage

A very nice experience on the train. Scenery was breathtaking, and we loved the 10 hour ride. Gir dine lovely photos! Our train was clean, boarding was a breeze and staff were courteous and pleasant.

Traveled Wellington to Auckland 2/1/2026 in Scenic Plus. Service staff were 5 stars, unfortunately forgot the lady and gentleman’s names. Wonderful views from our comfortable seats and open air viewing car. Toilets clean. You don’t go hungry, with regular meals and snacks - all top notch (frittata breakfast, salmon lunch, lamb dinner, cheese plate and deserts in between) and not overly large portions, so while you are constantly fed, I did not feel like I over ate.

We had the most wonderful experience on this trip going scenic plus. Beautiful scenery, great staff, beautiful food and drinks including wine. Would definitely see NZ this relaxing way again and highly recommend

Beautiful views, excellent service and amazing food, what more could you want? We thoroughly enjoyed the day, beat driving all the way across the North Island on the wrong side of those narrow roads!

This was my fourth trip on the Northern Explorer, but my first going South to North.Whilst I was familiar with the general experience, the different travel direction made a difference, but most importantly, what made a difference was the fact that I used, for the first time, their relatively new Scenic Plus dining experience - which elevated the whole event.You can read on their website about what the Scenic Plus dining experience offers, and there's nothing there, from my perspective, that is untrue.To say my expectations were wildly exceeded, is in no part due to the incredible service offered by the three staff members, unnamed for this review, who provided a consistent high level of service throughout the 12 hours of the journey.Whilst the premium of over $250 for the dining plus experience may on the face of it seem excessive, I've come to realise that certainly for business, it's going to be better for me to take a cheaper flight with Jetstar down to Wellington, in order to afford a Scenic Plus experience coming home, or vice versa. The cost of the two added together, TBH, is about the same as a typical Air New Zealand return airfare.What do you get for the additional all inclusive premium is phenomenal; and I found myself consistently fed and watered from the time the train left the platform of Wellington to driving through the suburbs of southern Auckland ,ready to get off at the Strand. I think what I would've paid for six flat whites during the day in itself goes without saying, and the barista service available in scenic plus is perfectly adequate.There's really nothing negative that I could say about this.To be clear it's a lovely carriage, in fact an exceptionally refurbished or rebuilt carriage, which pays homage to Te Ao Māori in its' design and built and artwork.However, ultimately it is traveling on old rolling stock on very old and narrow gauge railway lines. If you are uncomfortable with bumpy train rides, this will not be for you. Until the train gets well past Hamilton, expect lots of up-and-down motion. That said it's nothing like flying into Wellington, and all adds to the experience.I can't wait to do this trip again, and I think it marks a pivot from my typical fly down to Wellington and back; instead 12 hours with intermittent Wi-Fi ($5 for 2GB) allows you just to look at the changing fauna and flora all around and actually chill out for a bit.I got to listen to almost 7 hours of podcasts which normally would take a week to do!Go for it!

Enjoyed the trip great looking at different countryside. Staff very pleasant and super helpful. Loved the mulled wine

From check in to departure, we were treated like royalty. The scenic plus carriage is beautiful, the food is amazing, the temperature remained comfortable, the carriage was quiet from outside noise and the staff members very engaging and professional.The information available on the app is well worth logging into, and the use of free Wi-Fi was perfect to keep track of our travels.The staff members were very engaging, very knowledgeable and very professional. The food selection throughout the journey, was beautifully presented and sourced from areas in NZ that we passed through on our 11 hour journey!The scenic plus experience as well worth the money paid. I suggest you put it on your bucket list!