Having used the train between Auckland and Wellington as a student and last taken the Northern Explorer 12 years ago soon after it started, the new Scenic Plus class was a tempting option to celebrate a significant birthday. At first glance, the cost can seem a little steep, but having now done the trip, it is well worth the extra money. The main difference between the standard class and Scenic Plus is the all-day freshly prepared food brought to your seat with matching drinks. Eight separate courses over the day were impressive. They were all beautifully cooked and well presented on real crockery on white tablecloths. The menu choices highlighted a range of New Zealand ingredients and tastes. This is quite a step up over the heat-it-yourself in a microwave meal that you purchase in standard class. The crew were attentive the whole day and really helpful, particularly after a booking glitch put us in initially double-booked seats. The team lead in Scenic Plus really showcased the warmth of New Zealand hospitality, unassuming, welcoming and really cared about showcasing the country and its two main cultures. The journey itself never tires. There are those that say the two South Island rail journeys are more spectacular but the all-day journey from Auckland to Wellington is as spectacular. Once you leave Auckland, you travel through the rolling dairy lands of the Waikato, through the rugged and historic King Country, the forests and high plains of the central mountains with great views of the mountains (if they are out which they weren't on this day) and down into the headwaters and spectacular cliffs of the Rangitikei, the plains of the Manawatū before the spectacular entry into Wellington. The at-seat narration really brings the journey to life although it is now a little dated as a few of the highlighted personalities have now died. Our only reservations are the Strand Station in Auckland and the unrefurbished carriage. The station is 2.2 km away from the centre of town, hard to find and the luggage drop off points and check-in are rather confusingly located at opposite ends of an unsheltered platform. We understand that a refurbished carriage is also coming, although it has the same seating arrangements as the standard carriages. We were glad to have a bay of four seats to ourselves - it would have been a long 11 hours if we had had to share with another couple. Overall a great experience and a view of New Zealand you wont' get any other way.

After a week in Wellington attending WOW, we decided to treat ourselves to a Senic Plus trip on the Northern Explorer, EWellington to Auckland At first blush, the fare of $NZ449 might look excessive, but my wife and I both agreed at jorney's end that it was good value for money. As a couple we were seated at our own table with a full panoramic widow, set with white starched table cloth. After departing on time from the beautiful Wellingto Railway station, breakfast service commenced. Three courses commencing with coffee and Danishes, followed by Vanilla Chai pudding and a Garden vegetable Frittata, bacon and homemade baked beans. By the time the third course arrived we decided that bubbly was needed and so served. As we rolled along the coast line, we refreshed our coffee then had a glass of Rose and had our table cleaded for lunch which was NZ lamb at its best, tzatziki and a quinoa mixed grain salad, all with another Rose. Supurb. We now were in the mountains, travelling over a number of viaducts, through numeroius tunnels with majestic snowcapped mountains in the distance. A sweet teat of Whittakers dark chocolate and Wellington Coffe mouse, prepared you for the trip down the Raurima Spiral, where the trainline drops some 450 feet. Very cool. To make sure we were not starving a delightful cheese platter was served (back to bubbles) to prepare us for dinner. The final part of the journey along the plains, was not as picturesque as the first part, but there was plenty to see. Before dinner was served there was a 10 minute stop at Hamilton, when I got out to stretch my legs, hardly believing we were over 9 hours into our 11 hour journey. Dinner was kiwi roast chicken breast with rosemay rock salt potatoes, Gisborne pea mash smothered in a Wairarapa Pinot Noir jus. Dessert was a NZ berry cheesecake with a gingernut crumble. Again bubbles was the drink of choice. These eight courses were sevrved by a wonerful group of people who staffed our carriage, who were knowlegeable, funny and vigilant. Excellent service. The only down spot of the whole trip came at the end when we arrived at the very unexciting Strand Station (or platform) with very few cabs available for the many passengers. We ubered (2 minute delay and a very excellent driver), but many passengers were stranded. But this in no way detracted from what was a truely geat day. I would certainly recommend it as a way to unwind after a busy holiday. I would recommend going as a couple, as the single seats with a drop down table looked a little less inviting. I would also recommend an Uber from Auckland Station, although if going the other way, there would be no such difficulty in Wellington. Well done Kiwi Rail11

Enjoyed a wonderful train ride in the Scenic Plus car. Scenery was beautiful including coastal areas, small towns, mountains/volcanos, fields of lambs, cattle, horses and goats. Online guide highlightsed the history of areas traveled. Seating is comfortable with bathrooms easily available. Scenic Plus class includes a local menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with additional courses (cheese, desserts) and beverages. You literally spend the 11 hour trip eating while enjoying breathtaking scenery. A special shout out to Dawn the Scenic Plus Coordinator who insured we received a quality experience and was friendly and personable too.

The staff were enthusiastic, helpful and enjoyed the trip along with us Our seats at a white cloth covered table awaited us already set with the day’s menu and our headsets. We departed right on time and were soon en-route to the green vistas of the north island. Plenty of spring lambs and calves to see and photograph from the open viewing carriage The food came in eight small delicious portions through the day and with a selection of cold drinks and barista made coffee ! If that wasn’t enough you could get more at the cafe in the next carriage. Plenty of toilets available The day was interesting and relaxing and a great way to see NZ

I lived in NZ for many years and always wondered why people didn’t travel by train. Unbelievably long journey on the world’s most uncomfortable seats. An absolute misery. Everyone was really fed up when they got off. If you are determined to have a go, the only up side is the observation carriage. I would recommend having just an hour on the train between stations.

Yes, as a train loving Kiwi I am biased in rating the Northern Explorer a top notch ride. The Explorer features spacious, well appointed cabins with wide clean windows and fun outdoor viewing carriages. Just loved the scenery including coasts, mountains viaducts and spirals.

its a nice trip no commentry comfortable seats tables you can eat at there is a cafe carrage where you can buy food and drink and a viewing car

Poor behaving and possibly drunk passengers were not managed by staff, ruining the trip for all other travellers. They serve boiling water drinks for passengers to carry through carriages on rickety rails past other customers. This is a recipe for disaster. I was scalded through this practice and the solution?I was handed a cold bottle of milk to put on a scald between my fingers! Hundreds of passengers, boiling water, rickety rails and no first aid kit?. Third world standards! Intercity busses are luxury compared to this.

We’d seen a programme and the trip looked great. Sadly the reality was different and with hindsight we would have flown. The scenery is nice for about 5 hours of the trip and the circular loop near the middle is an amazing engineering feat. The last 5 or 6 hours are very dull. The trip was meant to be 11 hours but took 12.5 hours due to a defective train. So we didn’t arrive in Auckland until 2030. We were lucky as we had a table of 4 but some of the air One sears didn't have great views in my opinion. The staff were very good.

Relaxed, Scenic, Informative - This was a wonderful way to get from Wellington to Auckland if you have a day. The day was full of wonderful sights and the trip was augmented with periodic audio narratives about the sights and history. Food on the train was good. Unlike traveling by plane or bus, I spent a lot of time standing in the viewing car which is open air and allowed me to get pictures without window smug and glare. If you are planning to tour on your own in a rental car, read on. We rented a car in Queenstown and toured the South Island. Then we took the ferry from Picton to Wellington. The car rental companies don't want you to ferry their cars between the 2 islands. In Wellington we enjoyed a day touring on electric bikes. Then we took the Northern Explorer train from Wellington to Auckland where we again rented a car to explore the northern half of the north island. This was a wonderful way to get some time off from being the driver.

A beautifull ride. Feeling so good enjoying trip and saving CO 2 emissions. Good food variety available for very good price. Mozzarella/ beef pie is to recommend! Pity there was no sparkling water. There's an open car, accessible during the ride

Great train experience, great area information given through the headphones, beautiful scenery. Extremely friendly staff. Food choice, plentiful and reasonable prices. Great coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner and to finish nice bottle of red new zealand wine Had great seats, would highly recommend 👌 👍 😀

I was visiting New Zealand for the first time and I thought I could make the most of the limited time by taking the scenic train from Wellington to Auckland in order to see some of the New Zealand countryside and landscape to the volcano mountains. The train ride turned out to be close to 12 hours as we had wait on the side on some occasions and slow down when passing maintenance areas. For the most part, the weather was nice so the scenery and landscape was stunning. However, when we were in the National Park area, if was foggy and cloudy, so didn't see the volcano peaks. The train was not very crowded so has plenty of space to relax and viewing cart always had plenty of space. The food cart had pre-made meals where the staff would use the microwave to heat. When you are hungry, it will taste ok, sort like airline food. Note: There are some locations on the journey where there is no WiFi (dead-spots), so they will not be able to complete your credit card transaction, until we are back in range. Tip: At the Wellington station, there is a grocery store, I would stock up on sandwiches and snacks beforehand. We arrived in Auckland at sunset, there are plenty of taxis waiting, which can take you to your hotel in Auckland.

Look, it's gorgeous. It's a great train that's fairly comfortable for a long trip. The staff are incredible, and the experience is wonderful if you're a first-time traveler on this service. The views are stunning and the descriptive audio useful. It's just not all that great as a service to transport commuters, but it's unfortunately our only option for long-distance train travel in this country. So, idk, weigh up what you're looking for, I guess.

We did this train hoping for a relaxing day of beautiful views. What a mistake. We should have just flown from Auckland to Wellington. First, the ride was supposed to be 10 hours but ended up being 12.5. While we understand delays happen, what is not OK was the fact that we were in a car with NO AIR for the last 7 hours. We were suffocating and so hot it was torture. The sun was beating down on us and the crew was just like “sorry the airs not working in the carriage. We can’t do anything.” Meanwhile we’re all dying. The views were amazing but it was not worth the pain of the trip. I’d recommend flying instead.