Mighty rivers, wetlands, hills and viaducts await you on this exclusive heritage train day trip to Dannevirke.
Step onboard our lovingly restored heritage coaches, hauled by our heritage diesel locomotive and settle into your seats to enjoy this rare opportunity. As the train departs Napier, we begin our journey from the coast of the Pacific before crossing over impressive rivers between Awatoto and Clive. We arrive at Hastings for a quick stop to pick up more passengers then back on our way to Dannevirke. Departing Hastings, our train rolls straight through the famous water feature in the town square. As we gather speed heading inland, keep an eye out for the Pekapeka wetlands and resident wildlife. Shortly after, you will hear our big diesel engine start to wind up as it prepares to climb the Opapa bank ÔÇô the steepest hill to climb between Napier and Palmerston North! From the top of the Opapa bank, the train gently passes through rural farmlands and the towns of Otane and Waipawa before crossing the mighty Tukituki river viaduct into Waipukurau. Continuing southward, we cross the Waipukurau plains and into the Hatuma foothills ÔÇô famous for its lime fertiliser products. From here our train passes through the quaint historic villages of Takapau, Ormondville (look out for the big viaduct here!) and Makotuku, crossing bridges and streams along the way. We begin the final part of our journey descending the Matamau bank, over the Piripiri viaduct then shortly arriving into the Norse themed town of Dannevirke at 1.00pm.
A Dannevirke, take a leisurely stroll through the main street, enjoy a coffee and lunch or shop local in any of the local stores.
At 2.30pm, we depart depart Dannevirke and re-trace our steps north and take in the sights and views that you may have missed on the trip south.
Arriving into Hastings at 5.05pm and Napier at 5.40pm, you will be just in time to get the kids home for dinner or simply wind down reminisce your favourite parts of your exciting day with us.
Timetable
| Outward | ||
|---|---|---|
| Napier | dep. | 10.00am |
| Hastings |
dep. | 10.30am |
| Dannevirke | arr. | 1.00pm |
| Inward | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dannevirke |
dep. | 2.30pm |
| Hastings |
arr. | 5.05pm |
| Napier | arr. |
5.40pm |
COVID-19 Information
As this is a pre-booked
allocated-seating tour, face coverings are not compulsory but are
strongly encouraged. For more info see the official NZ Government
COVID-19 website.
In
the event that the NZ Government or its agencies prevent the operation
of this tour taking place due to COVID-19, refunds of fares paid (net of
outgoings made from those fares) may be made by GVR upon written
application being received from booked passengers.
Seating Information
We
aim to seat passengers from the same booking together. You will be
allocated at least one window seat for bookings of 2 or more (subject to
availability). Where possible, seats will be turned to face the
direction of travel (pairs and singles) or to face each other (groups).
If you are travelling with people on a different booking or have another
specific request then please email us as soon as possible at [email protected]
and we will try and accommodate your request the best we can. Your
allocated seat and carriage details will be on your boarding pass which
will be emailed to you at least 3-5 days before your departure date.
Your ticket entitles you to return train travel on GVR's heritage train including complimentary light refreshments.
