We decided to take the train tour of Taieri Gorge after listening to a brief promotion by the Motel Operator. He was kind enough to help us call the Dunedin Train Station to book two tickets. The tour is 4 hours long and starts from Dunedin and ends at Pukerangi and then back to Dunedin.
The train line was originally built for commuter train to move people and goods. But over the years, with the many road networks being built, its appeal as a commuter train faded. Its ownership had since changed hand many times and it is now owned by a private company.
The Taieri Gorge is a deep canyon carved out by the Taieri River. The gorge is over 40 Km long. The track traverses through spectacular scenery along the banks of the Taieri River. At time, the track runs practically along the edge of sheer cliff overlooking the river way down below.
The railway track itself is an engineering marvel considering it was built in the late 1800's. The track crosses a dozen viaducts, including the southern hemisphere's longest wrought iron structure and passes through 10 tunnels. After passing the longest Salisbury Tunnel at 437m long, the train crosses the Mullocky Gully over the 197m long Wingatui Viaduct- the largest wrought iron structure in NZ since it was built in 1887. The 47m tall (16-storey high) viaduct riveted lattice structure rests on seven concrete and masonry piers.
As the train moved towards Pukerangi, the final point, the line slowly starts to climb higher and out of the gorge, passing over bridges and cuttings through several rocky outcrops, on its way to Pukerangi.
Along the route, the train stopped at points where local people set up temporary outlets to market handicrafts and souvenirs.
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| Final stop at Pukerangi before turning back to Dunedin. |
1 comment:
I've enjoyed looking at your photos of Taieri Gorge Railway. We travelled it in July 2016, and were amazed by the tunnels, viaducts, and stoney surrounds. Thanks so much for sharing.
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