Photo Essay: The Overlander

There is something civilized about travelling by train in the western world. When inching across a country by train, the journey really does become as important as the destination.

Train travel is not an option where I live, so it has become a favourite part of travelling overseas for me. I love hearing the whistle at each stop. I love passing through land untouched by roads. I love being able to buy hot meals and refreshments.

In 2006, as I was preparing to visit New Zealand for the third time, I was disappointed to hear that the train between Auckland and Wellington, the Overlander, would have its last journey on September 30 of the same year.

I first travelled on the Overlander between Hamilton and Wellington in 2003. Since then, I had been looking forward to crossing New Zealand’s North Island by train once more.

Most visitors to New Zealand pass quickly through the North Island to get to the South Island where the Southern Alps await. While the South Island is beautiful, the North Island has a pulse that can speak to the soul. The Overlander is an ideal way to sample it.

From Wellington, the Overlander passes along the coast before heading inland. In 2006 I joined it in Palmerston North, crossing farmland dotted with sheep before coming to the dramatic landscapes of the Rangitikei region and then on to the North Island Volcanic Plateau, with its three volcanic peaks at the center.

There were no mountains on the day of my journey. Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngaruahoe were hiding behind rain clouds that covered the North Island from Waiouru to well past Taumarunui. However, even a deluge of rain cannot hide the luxuriant greens of the North Island.

There are incredible stands of native bush north of National Park, but in many places, planted pines have replaced them. Reforestation is better than leaving the land bare and prone to slips, but the pine forests seem so alien in this lush landscape.

Approaching Te Kuiti, the sun started peeking through gaps in the massive, billowing clouds to shine down on pastoral valleys. Photos from a moving train cannot capture the sunbeams streaking through cloud gaps late in the afternoon.

I watched evening settle over the North Island while eating lamb stew and drinking New Zealand wine, both a perfect accompaniment to the setting.

The last part of the journey was beside the Waikato River, mightiest of New Zealand's rivers. Even after the sun set and twilight was fading, it was possible to feel the strength and history in this part of the land. After dark, the train passed through Ngaruawahia, where earlier in the day, the Maori Queen was buried and her son was named King.

Finally, the train pulled into Britomart Transport Centre. Ascending from Britomart to the streets of Auckland, I could not help but feel sad for the end of the Overlander. Sad that so many people, especially New Zealanders, were always in too much of a hurry to see the land this way. Sad that I could not look forward to this journey again.

Bookings were high for the last month of the Overlander, as people scrambled for a final chance to see the North Island from the train. At the eleventh hour, the Overlander was saved. It now runs on a reduced schedule: daily during the New Zealand summer, and three days a week the rest of the year.

http://www.tranzscenic.co.nz/services/overlander.aspx

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