getting from port charmers Duneden to train station

[livingstone]

I know this i a very simple question, but how long does it take to get to the train station from the port in Duneden. does anyone know if this is srtrait forward and if buses avalable. I need to be there before 915 am any hints or tips. Also if I just book the standard tour on the gorge train can I board it a the boat or is the one that leaves the docks a charter train?

[Australian family]

If you are booking the train direct, you need to get into the train station in Dunedin. I think it is about 20 min drive into town. When we went last year we picked up a shuttle bus at the port, HAL provided free of charge. Not certain what RCCI do. The only train that departs from the port is the ships charter.

 

Enjoy the trip as it is a wonderful journey.

[thied]

I know this i a very simple question, but how long does it take to get to the train station from the port in Duneden. does anyone know if this is srtrait forward and if buses avalable. I need to be there before 915 am any hints or tips. Also if I just book the standard tour on the gorge train can I board it a the boat or is the one that leaves the docks a charter train?

 

from port charmers to dunedin by bus 15- 20 min.

and the chartered train comes into the port next to the ship.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Great photo....

Wow you got in all of Port Chalmers:D

 

You can just pick out the local bus stopping ,(orange) in the main street.

Dont count on getting a bus when you want or need it , as they dont run all that regularly.

When we were there , we gave up waiting and then spent another 20 minutes trying to find a taxi:eek:

I believe things have improved a lot since then though.

 

Just up and over the hill in the main street is a local supermarket that has a good wine selection.:rolleyes:

[thied]

[Sandielle]

Livingstone, just in case you haven't seen this site, here is the address.

 

http://www.taieri.co.nz/

 

It pays to check with them. They vary the timetable/stops at times and you might find that they are not doing the trip you want on the day you arrive there.

 

(We were glad we hadn't booked it, as there had been fires the day we were there - the train tour was cancelled. They took the people on the ship's tour to Palmerston, instead.)

[rugbypopsie]

We found the NZ tourist organisations to be very well organised and often had free shuttles available in a lot of the ports.

 

I think the Gorge tour is very popular I would do your research first...it might be one of those cases where booking the ships tour is preferable the ship may have booked the entire train.

 

For others the railway station is a destination in itself..quite magnificent.

[Australian family]

Livingstone, just in case you haven't seen this site, here is the address.

 

http://www.taieri.co.nz/

 

It pays to check with them. They vary the timetable/stops at times and you might find that they are not doing the trip you want on the day you arrive there.

 

(We were glad we hadn't booked it, as there had been fires the day we were there - the train tour was cancelled. They took the people on the ship's tour to Palmerston, instead.)

 

When you book direct, they don't make you pay upfront. You just pay at the station on the day. They are a very good company to deal with.

 

Another idea is to make a group booking, which is what I did, and because there was more than 10 of us we got a 10% discount, and had a carriage mostly to ourselves. I organised it through our roll call.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I am not sure, but get the feeling they run 2 trains when a cruise ship is in port.

1 for the ship, and the other as per a normal day.

Any one know if that is correct?

Or does the train that calls at the wharf then go back to the station for the normal passengers?

[cazz0069]

I am not sure, but get the feeling they run 2 trains when a cruise ship is in port.

1 for the ship, and the other as per a normal day.

Any one know if that is correct?

Or does the train that calls at the wharf then go back to the station for the normal passengers?

 

David that is correct. You have the chartered train that is waiting for the ship at the port, and the other one leaves directly from the station. If i remember correctly, the public train leaves 30 minutes earlier then the cruise one, so be sure to get a shuttle bus or taxi ($40) straight to the station and book there. I know with Princess the chartered train tour was $239 compared to the $70 it was to do it directly (the ships tour included lunch and drinks etc) but still cheaper to do the public one! :)

[livingstone]

yes, I recieved a email from the marketing manager of the train and she confirmed that the train from the ship is a charter train. The train from the ship includes your food and drink. during the trip. As for the return trip I think you return to the ship by coach or train not sure about that though. thanks for everyone who posted, great help.

[RD MULLET]

I am not sure, but get the feeling they run 2 trains when a cruise ship is in port.

1 for the ship, and the other as per a normal day.

Any one know if that is correct?

Or does the train that calls at the wharf then go back to the station for the normal passengers?

We did the tour when we were there on the Rhapsody. Caught a shuttle from the wharf, but get down to the shuttles early.

Caught the train at the old railway station, which is very much worth a visit by itself.

The train from the ship stops half way along the George and the returns to the ship, the one from the station is a much longer trip and goes all the way to the end of the line and then returns after about a 1/2 hour wait. For a family of 4 we saved about $800USD:D doing the trip by ourselves. Children are free on the train but full fare if booked on the ship:confused:, so instead of a $1000USD shore tour we did a $140 NZD private tour that was twice as long, but didn't include a free ? glass of wine and a sandwich. There is a Kiosk on the train to buy your lunch.

[stanc61]

The train from the ship stops half way along the George and the returns to the ship, the one from the station is a much longer trip and goes all the way to the end of the line and then returns after about a 1/2 hour wait. For a family of 4 we saved about $800USD:D doing the trip by ourselves. Children are free on the train but full fare if booked on the ship:confused:, so instead of a $1000USD shore tour we did a $140 NZD private tour that was twice as long, but didn't include a free ? glass of wine and a sandwich. There is a Kiosk on the train to buy your lunch.

Hey RD MULLET, that makes sense about the way the itinery is structured.

 

We did the trip about 20 years ago and the train went to Middlemarch where you could have a quick meal and a beer at the pub. But having a look at the map, there appears to be nothing at all at Pukerangi where the one from the station departs from.

 

I also emailed the company and here is their reply which should answer a lot of questions:

The Taieri Gorge Railway offer twice daily scheduled trains departing from and returning to Dunedin Railway Station.

On 2nd February, 2011 the Taieri Gorge Railway train departs from Dunedin Railway Station at 9.30am and returns back to Dunedin by 1.30pm.

It is at least a 20 minutes drive in from Port Chalmers, so we would advise that you would need to disembark before 8.40am to get into our office in time to catch the train.

There are generally a good number of taxis and shuttles in the wharf area to assist with transfers - expect to pay NZ$50 each way.

The train journey is 4 hours duration and the fare is NZ$79 per adult.

Bookings are essential - www.taieri.co.nz.

The train offered as an excursion from the ship is a charter train and can only be booked from the shore excursion office. The charter train offers refreshments, food, carriage hosts, photo stops and great commentary as well as pick up and drop off from the wharf.

We operate several train sets with locomotive and carriages so our scheduled train is not the same as the cruise ship excursion train.

We look forward to having you visit Dunedin.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Nice photo thied :)