Driver’s Eye View (New Zealand) - Dunedin Railways - The Seasider Part 2 - Waitati to Dunedin 

Thank you Ian, Cape gauge is common throughout the commonwealth countries, although some such as Australia have Cape, standard and broad gauges.

Cheers, I'm glad you enjoyed it. This train had good headlights.

Hi Robert, I really appreciate your kind comment, I know I'm fortunate to be able to visit these places and it is my pleasure to share some of these experiences via RU-vid.

Cheers, I guess that's one way to watch them, although I haven't tried it myself :-)

Thank you Anna, I had an amazing time in New Zealand and Australia, travelling by float plane, helicopter, jet-boat, hydrofoil, motor-home, train and ferry. I look forward to sharing this adventure over the coming months.

Wow!! That sounds amazing. I am looking forward to seeing it

Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

Hello Bob, the line between Christchurch and Dunedin is very scenic, unfortunately there is no regular passenger service. New Zealand takes tourists for granted and that is a big mistake, especially when it comes to those from Europe who pay the kind of money to visit NZ that will take them to any destination in the world. In most countries around the world, holidays by rail are very popular and well catered for, with railways working hand in hand with holiday providers and private train operators, the opposite happens in New Zealand, although to be fair to Dunedin Council, they are the exception and should be congratulated for creating Dunedin Railways along with saving the Taieri Gorge line. Most people I meet have either toured NZ by coach or landed at a couple of ports from cruise liners, they all show the same photos from the same view points. The only other option is to drive and that isn't what it used to be, I paid extra for a new camper-van on my last trip only to be given something that looked like it had been in a destruction derby, thanks to the driving skills of Chinese tourists, I won't bother again. If I'm on my own I hire a wreck of a car because they are usually the most reliable and I stay in whatever accommodation is available ranging from backpackers and lodges to nice hotels. The lead on Tourism in NZ must come from the top, because it will require a lot of investment to bring regular trains back to Napier, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Dunedin and dare I say Queenstown via the Kingston flyer. Only New Zealand would leave most of its top tourist destinations off the rail map. How can a government claim to be green when its tourists are forced to either travel by plane or drive? I can only guess NZ is turning its back on European tourists in favor of those from China, as a tourist it certainly feels that way. NZ has awesome scenery and amazing railways that are largely not available to tourists either because there are no trains or those that do run are irregular and don't fit in with a tourists itinerary. I am often asked to put together a touring itinerary using NZ railways, it is frustratingly difficult bordering on impossible. I love NZ and I know how to get around because I have visited many times. For first time visitors often travelling by coach the experience will be disappointing and very expensive. KiwiRail must become a holiday provider because right now only coach companies offer any kind of joined up holiday experience, people on coach holidays will not get to see the views from this train. NZ has kept Covid-19 at bay, how will it cope with thousands of Chinese tourists when New Zealanders have not had the chance to catch the virus and build up immunity under controlled conditions? or will they sacrifice Chinese tourism whilst they wait for a reliable vaccine to be developed. I am not quite so familiar with touring Australia by rail as I have usually visited to ride a specific train or railway. Here in the UK our railways are busier than ever in spite of Beeching closing half the network, simply because the roads cannot cope with ever increasing volumes of traffic. NZ and OZ can both benefit by avoiding many of the mistakes made by the UK. I hope you are keeping well. Take care. Tim.

Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it. New Zealand is a beautiful place.

Hi, I had intended to take the train to Middlemarch and join a 7 day holiday train between Dunedin and Picton, both with Dunedin Railways in 2020, sadly Covid19 defeated me. I don't know if Dunedin railways will survive, I sincerely hope it does, as it is the only company that runs the occasional trains from Dunedin to Christchurch and beyond. New Zealand has some of the best rail routes in the world, yet unlike almost every country in the developed world, it doesn't offer any decent rail based holidays. Dunedin Rail has a very important part to play in South Island Tourism, I hope the government steps in to insure its future and encourage rail based holidays. KiwiRail's Scenic trains are better than nothing, but with a reduced timetable and less than friendly on train staff they need to be handed over to a tour and holiday company who actually understand holiday makers and their needs. I tour New Zealand by campervan or hire car, not by choice, simply because its either that or being herded around on a coach holiday. Another reason for rail based holidays is that arrangements can be made to visit museums and other tourist sites even if it means opening them just for tour participants. I rarely see any action at the railway museums because they are only open on the third Sunday of the month or some other equally difficult time. The staff and volunteers at the museums are friendly and often let visitors in even when closed, although nothing is likely to be moving, the worst offending Museum is Ferrymead, I've visited 4 times and the only thing I've seen in action is the model railway, not a good situation for a National Railway Museum. I'd love to work for the NZ government's tourism department, I'd sure kick some lazy backsides to make sure New Zealand lives up to its potential. Some attractions will never make money, but they are still an important part of the holiday experience that contributes to the substantial tourist economy of NZ, could you imagine visiting York Railway Museum in the UK only to be told it opens on the third Sunday of the month, it wouldn't happen, yet that is how tourists are treated at Ferrymead, the trains and trams need to be running even if only for a couple of trips a day. I love New Zealand, the place has so much to offer, I really hope someone steps in to make sure all of the underused scenic rail lines are served by holiday tour trains. The tour trains only have to run once a month for the likes of "Great Rail Journeys" or the "Railway Touring Company" to market and fill them. I'm sure the market can easily sustain weekly Rail Tours that can be marketed throughout the world, it just needs someone in New Zealand's government with drive and imagination to make it happen. I'd be one of the first to book on such a tour and I know a number of Australian's who'd also be up for it. I'm looking forward to Covid19 restrictions being lifted, hopefully sometime in 2021. Take care and stay safe. Tim.

Hello Eva, I'm pleased you enjoyed this one, New Zealand is a really beautiful country.

Hi, I'm pleased you enjoyed this one. I will try for more New Zealand cab-ride videos, but it is getting much harder to obtain permission, now that the state owned railway company has been separated into infrastructure and operating companies run by various private operators, some of whom are very cooperative, others just say "No" blaming anything from Health and safety to terrorism. On this trip to New Zealand I arranged to film the TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific trains, KiwiRail and Great Journeys of New Zealand were OK with it, but on the day permission was refused, very frustrating having travelled from the UK to film them. Its a lose, lose situation, people researching their holidays, often use RU-vid to find things to do and places to go, they will not know about these trips if they are not featured. Great Journeys of New Zealand spend a fortune on RU-vid videos for their own website, most of them get just a few thousand views from people who must already know about the trains to be on their website in the first place. My videos are free and get viewed by tens of thousands of people, many of whom may decide to include one or more rail trips in their next holiday to New Zealand. I plan my trips in advance using the internet to discover what is available.

Hello Heinz, watching this gives me wanderlust and I've only just returned home, it is a beautiful place.

Glad you you enjoyed it Neil, I will do a "passengers view", because in this case the passenger on the seaside of the train gets the best view.

Tim, tourism and spectacular views are one thing. but what you said in reply to wombatwal20 is right on the money. the NZ government should be getting their railway system "back on track"(pun very much intended but still making a serious point). People should be able to travel by train from top to bottom of NZ, and across the islands.

@@neilforbes416 I don't live in New Zealand so maybe it is not my place to comment, but I do visit as a tourist and I am aware of some of the shortcomings when it comes to touring using public transport. There are busses and coaches, they will always be needed to get people from stations to tourist attractions. The trains have been cut and cut, some don't even run daily, others are seasonal, travelling by train is difficult and requires a knowledge of the trains available. Many tourists to New Zealand aren't even aware of the trains that do run other than the TranzAlpine and that's only because it is included in their otherwise all coach tour itinerary. The most visited tourist hot spot "Rotarua" has been cut from the rail network. Vast swathes of what was once beautiful New Zealand is disappearing under an ever expanding road network, to cater for over-size lorries, camper vans and fleets of road coaches. It takes real leadership to run a country, sadly New Zealand is going the way of Britain, run by pressure groups with no social conscience, such as the road transport lobby. Soon North Island will loose its appeal for tourists, fortunately South Island has not suffered so much road blight. I hope the New Zealand government wakes up to what is happening before it is too late, short term measures lead to short term savings, the results of which will cost a fortune in the long term. The Borders Railway in Britain is a good example of a railway that should never have closed and has cost an absolute fortune to reinstate it as a mere single track stub over part of the original route.

You visit as a tourist to New Zealand, Tim, so as a tourist, you'd well know the needs of tourists when visiting NZ or anywhere else for that matter. It's tourists like yourself that help keep the NZ economy ticking over.

@@neilforbes416 I've probably spent enough money to buy two new family cars in the last 15 years visiting New Zealand, its an expensive holiday destination on par with visiting Switzerland, almost everything costs twice as much as it would in the UK, having said that the UK tourist industry is preforming really well as a result of the weak pound.

Hello, it's nice to hear from you. I hope your friends enjoy this video, South Island is incredibly beautiful. Best wishes. Tim.

@@Timsvideochannel1 hai Tim i let you now. have a nice day.greetz:Peerke.

@@MrPeerum Thank you :-)

I can see why you compare this part of New Zealand with Northern Spain's coastline with the Atlantic Ocean, they are similar, especially the rocky coastline, bays and extensive sandy beaches. I'm pleased you enjoyed the video, it is likely I will join one of Dunedin Railways rail holidays covering the route from Invercargill to Christchurch, although it will be a year or so before I make my next trip from the UK to NZ.

@@Timsvideochannel1 Yes, furthermore the climate in my area and New Zealand south island is almost identical, a bit warmer and sunny than in the British islands;). Nevertheless, althought the green colours are similar and it feels like being at home, I cant not recognize most of the flora. Thank you for your videos! .I will be waiting for your next trip :) that will be mine thanks to youtube :)

@@gartxi75 Much of the flora is different to that found in Northern Spain, the woodland along the line is native forest, please click on this link for more information - www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/

Thank you.

Cheers.

I am sure the driver will appreciate your thanks.

Did you get to see the end of steam, or had that already come to pass? I'd love to have seen New Zealand in the 1970's, even in the 20 or so years I've been visiting from the UK I have seen a lot of changes, such as the loss of most of the road rail bridges.

@@Timsvideochannel1 I dont remember steam, altho I'm the age where I should - but I did ride many times on those cool railcars where the red vinyl seats with the big chrome knobs that changed the seats position - forwards and backwards . .depending where you were going . . also remember the rattlers - where the sign by the toilet said - 'Passengers are asked not to expectorate on the floor and fittings' - had to ask Ma what expectorate meant . . . spitting she replied with a sour expression . .

@@treborifIt must have been fun riding the railcars, I've only seen them in the preservation era and as yet I've not had a chance to ride in one other than this 'Silver Fern' Unit. 'Expectorate cough or spit out (phlegm) from the throat or lungs', that's not a word used much these days, I had to look it up check that I had the right meaning. It's no wonder your Mum wore a sour expression!! So many of the routes once covered by those railcars are no longer served by passenger trains, in many cases the tracks have gone too. When I'm next allowed into New Zealand (although it is open to visitors, there are still too many obstacles to overcome for the time being), I will try to time my visit to coincide with a special train using one of the old units. New Zealand is so far away from the UK, I never thought I'd actually go there, but with my son choosing to make NZ his home more than 20 years ago it's given me a good reason to visit both NZ and Australia on the way. My son used to live in Plimmerton, just up the road from Mainline Steam's depot and only a short ride away from Steam Incorporated’s depot at Paekākāriki. Cheers. Tim.

@@Timsvideochannel1the old rattlers had a water cooler with a wee tap at the end of the carriage next to the toilet (do not flush the lavatory while in the station) and these awful paper cups that disintegrated after a few minutes - and a sign above the first seats saying - smoking to the rear of this notice only - 2 seats for the non smokers and the carriage air would be thick blue smoke . . ahhh those were the days - even a passive smoker got the full benefit of pretty much every other adult - probably a couple of kids too smoking like a train . . . . . .

@@treborifThose trains sound like a bit of a nightmare, I've just travelled on one of my local trains here in the UK, they are almost 50 years old now and they are really showing their age, they were destined to have been scrapped by now, yet most are still in service. If I described them, like the rattlers you describe they wouldn't sound good, but I'll sure miss them when they do go, they've been a part of my life for a long time.

That would be awesome, hopefully someone will do it one day.

Thank you.

Obrigado. Estou feliz que tenha gostado do passeio.

Thank you Robert, I'm pleased you enjoyed the ride. New Zealand lost most of its secondary and branch lines, leaving just the main trunk route on North and South Island. Dunedin City Council realized the tourist potential, saving the most scenic stretch of the Taieri Gorge Railway. They also run trains, such as this one on the national network around the coastal line towards Christchurch. Tim.

It is a question I ask myself, Kiwi Rail used to run a train, but that ceased many years ago, "Dunedin Railways" run a few specials. As a regular tourist to New Zealand, I am forced to hire a camper-van or car because it is not possible to travel by train, although I am considering one of "Dunedin Railways" rail based holidays for my next visit because they do bridge the gaps not currently served by scheduled trains. I would love to see passenger trains return to the route and "Dunedin Railways" are doing an excellent job in reviving rail travel around Dunedin. If the New Zealand government is serious about sustainable tourism it should be leading the way by reintroducing some of the trains axed in the recent past, even if it means subsidising them, because those passengers will spend money elsewhere in the economy.

Thanks for response mate. Agree about government subsidies etc. That really is the responsibility of all governments world wide to finance all public utilities and rail was one that they abandoned when they expected profits over service.

@@wombatwal20 Road, rail and coastal shipping should be regarded as the arteries that keep a nation in good health, the tax Regime should encourage the best use of the network, if lorries were required to actually cover the cost of the damage they do to the roads, they would be paying a lot more, helping rail to regain its competitive edge. An endless line of lorries travelling from one end of New Zealand to the other whilst the rail network remains an under utilised asset should make New Zealand politicians feel ashamed.

Rail is just too slow to be realistic as a transport type for long distance travel in New Zealand.....much as it annoys me.

@@unhippy1 Trains are a wonderful way for tourists both foreign and domestic to enjoy the outstanding beauty without destroying it with more motorways and roads.

Cheers, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It is part of the Main South Line which starts in Christchurch and ends in Invercargill. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_South_Line