Trieri Gorge Railway

[rooney9]

First off i would like to thank jen for a fantastic website on New Zealand.

On the avise of Kuldalai and Flipper 133 i am going to book the Trieri Gorge Railway.One question though,if i book the trip starting at the rail station the return trip to Pukeranga (this is the only place they go on this date) the price is £45 per person for four and half hours,if i book via ship the price is £105 per person for six hours.Not seeming tight fisted what am i going to get for the extra £60 per person.OK i know i will have to taxi to and back from the station but i do not think the taxi fare will equate to £120.

[Australian family]

You will really enjoy the rail trip on the taieri gorge railway, much cheaper to book direct. They don't ask for upfront payment either.

 

The ships tour only goes to Pukeranga.

[kuldalai]

The Princess Ships Tour gives you the Trieri Gorge trip starting from shipside, lunch on the train and train returns to Dunedin Central station where passengers join coaches for an afternoon tour of the Otago Peninsula including a visit to historic Larnach Castle and then the coach returns to the ship late afternoon .

 

Whereas the train trip undertaken from Dunedin station is just that. You will have to arrange a taxi both ways at extra cost, and you miss Otago Peninsula and Larnach Castle. .

 

Given the ships tour departs from shipside, and also goes to the Otago Peninsula and Larnach Castle and delivers you back to the ship, one is not comparing "apples with apples" in the prices quoted .

 

We went on ships excursion it was a great day, all inclusive and we considered well worth the extra $ .

[bobhsv]

First off i would like to thank jen for a fantastic website on New Zealand.

On the avise of Kuldalai and Flipper 133 i am going to book the Trieri Gorge Railway.One question though,if i book the trip starting at the rail station the return trip to Pukeranga (this is the only place they go on this date) the price is £45 per person for four and half hours,if i book via ship the price is £105 per person for six hours.Not seeming tight fisted what am i going to get for the extra £60 per person.OK i know i will have to taxi to and back from the station but i do not think the taxi fare will equate to £120.

 

Thanks rooney9. I have a suggestion for you. Most of the cruise ships have buses going into Dunedin from Pt Chalmers. You could check onboard to see if you can get a return ticket only for their bus....get the taxi in, do the train, have a look around afterwards, and catch the ships bus back to the dock (they will have several operating in a shuttle fashion am and pm) Last time the cost was around $15 (I think) for bus. Definately wouldn't risk it on the way in though! Tightfisted is not cruising lingo:eek:, it's all about getting the best deal, hence more money to spend elsewhere:D

Have a great cruise.

Jen

[SunnyinDubai]

Can I get the website that Jen recommended please? Need to start researching what to do in NZ next month? thanks :)

[kiwipete]

Can I get the website that Jen recommended please? Need to start researching what to do in NZ next month? thanks :)

 

www.seeanddonewzealand.co.nz Enjoy!

[SunnyinDubai]

Thanks Kiwipete:)

[aussie57]

First off i would like to thank jen for a fantastic website on New Zealand.

On the avise of Kuldalai and Flipper 133 i am going to book the Trieri Gorge Railway.One question though,if i book the trip starting at the rail station the return trip to Pukeranga (this is the only place they go on this date) the price is £45 per person for four and half hours,if i book via ship the price is £105 per person for six hours.Not seeming tight fisted what am i going to get for the extra £60 per person.OK i know i will have to taxi to and back from the station but i do not think the taxi fare will equate to £120.

 

Did I miss something? I thought the Taieri Gorge Train could only be purchased as a ship's tour when a ship is in, & that the normal tourist price can only be accessed on a trip that gets back too late to be back to the ship for sailing. That was certainly the case in 2007 when we were on Sapphire Princess.

[bobhsv]

Did I miss something? I thought the Taieri Gorge Train could only be purchased as a ship's tour when a ship is in, & that the normal tourist price can only be accessed on a trip that gets back too late to be back to the ship for sailing. That was certainly the case in 2007 when we were on Sapphire Princess.

 

Hi Anne and Allan,

 

It just depends on a number of factors. With our cruise, the train is fully booked, and doesn't appear even on the railway site as a vacant day. The cruise lines have fully booked it out. We miss out on booking this way.:( On other cruises, particularly if only one ship is in town, you can book privately online. However, you only have time to go halfway, I think it is Pukerangi, but not sure. You may make it to Middlemarch and back, but would have to check the timetable for that particular day. Someone else will know this. You have to get into Dunedin by 9.30am, which means a taxi, approx $50 I was told. Booking through the ship, does cost a lot more, but you get on at Pt Chalmers, do the train ride with lunch, drinks etc.

Last time we were in Dunedin, lots did the private way. There is also a seasider trip, but not available every day. Hope this assists.

Jen

[Australian family]

Did I miss something? I thought the Taieri Gorge Train could only be purchased as a ship's tour when a ship is in, & that the normal tourist price can only be accessed on a trip that gets back too late to be back to the ship for sailing. That was certainly the case in 2007 when we were on Sapphire Princess.

 

Yes you can book it direct. You just need to check the timetable for the day you are in town, and your cruise timetable. We went all the way to Middlemarch and had a most enjoyable day.

 

Also consider doing it as a group booking through your roll call. If you have more than 10 passengers they give you a 10% discount.

 

Much, much cheaper than booking through the cruiseline.

 

Email the rail company, they are very prompt and helpful.

[Skyrules]

Did I miss something? I thought the Taieri Gorge Train could only be purchased as a ship's tour when a ship is in, & that the normal tourist price can only be accessed on a trip that gets back too late to be back to the ship for sailing. That was certainly the case in 2007 when we were on Sapphire Princess.

 

It really depends on the time of year and how it works in with the railway's schedule.

 

When we were there in April this year on Pacific Pearl the shore tour was a seperate service, charted for the day, so the train was all P&O Passengers. The train ran from Port Chalmers to Dunedin and on through the Taieri Gorge to Pukarangi. On the return trip, the train stopped at Dunedin and passengers were given the option of leaving the train and having a look at Dunedin and then making their own way back to Port Chalmers, or stay on board the train to complete the trip back to dockside. While stopped at Dunedin the train was split in two - half the train went on to Port Chalmers and the other half became the regular afternoon service up the Gorge.

 

We didn't do the shour tour, as we'd done the train trip on a previous visit to Dunedin, but our travel companions did, and they said it was well worth the extra expense to get dockside pickup/drop off, morning tea, lunch, drinks, extra little gifts that they were given, and the convience of not having to worry about taxis, missing the ship, etc.

[happyaussies]

"They said it was well worth the extra expense to get dockside pickup/drop off, morning tea, lunch, drinks, extra little gifts that they were given, and the convience of not having to worry about taxis, missing the ship, etc."

I agree with Skyrules

Although ship's tours are more expensive they are more convenient, IMHO.

 

You always have priority departure, dockside transportation. No worries, you just board the coach and a away you go to enjoy your day's touring.

The only way to travel on holidays!

 

B&B

[sherri3802too]

The Princess Ships Tour gives you the Trieri Gorge trip starting from shipside, lunch on the train and train returns to Dunedin Central station where passengers join coaches for an afternoon tour of the Otago Peninsula including a visit to historic Larnach Castle and then the coach returns to the ship late afternoon .

 

Whereas the train trip undertaken from Dunedin station is just that. You will have to arrange a taxi both ways at extra cost, and you miss Otago Peninsula and Larnach Castle. .

 

Given the ships tour departs from shipside, and also goes to the Otago Peninsula and Larnach Castle and delivers you back to the ship, one is not comparing "apples with apples" in the prices quoted .

 

We went on ships excursion it was a great day, all inclusive and we considered well worth the extra $ .

 

I agree with kuldalai.

If the ship excursion includes a tour and also Lanarch castle, it may be worth it to pay the extra.We were in NZ earlier this year, on a coach tour, and elected to do the visit to the castle and it was about $65 per person. That was with a tour company, not on our usual coach. But they picked us up from our hotel and returned us to our bus.

The actual entry fee pp to the castle was a lot cheaper, but to tell the truth, I am glad I wasn't trying to drive up the road to it, it is very steep.

If you're from England it won't impress you much as a castle. It didn't exactly strike me as a castle either, and I'm Australian.

But it has an interesting story behind it and good views.

I am sure you will enjoy your trip. NZ is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever been, it is spotlessly clean almost everywhere and the people are just lovely-extremely friendly.

[LuckiePuris]

Did I miss something? I thought the Taieri Gorge Train could only be purchased as a ship's tour when a ship is in, & that the normal tourist price can only be accessed on a trip that gets back too late to be back to the ship for sailing. That was certainly the case in 2007 when we were on Sapphire Princess.

 

On our cruise, we were able to book direct through the operator although we booked far in advance.

 

We were fortunate to be assigned to the last carriage which also had an outdoor balcony area you could stand on during the trip. Great views and photo opportunities from the back of the train and either side.

 

As we were docked in Dunedin for the full day, we had enough time to do the trip to Middlemarch and back. We caught a taxi back to the ship from the train station, but asked him to do a bit of a tour for us on the way back.

 

We drove up and then down Baldwin Street, the steepest residential street in the world, and he also took us to a lookout where we could see our ship.

 

If you do the tour direct, be sure to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

These are a few photos from Dunedin:

 

Taieri Gorge Railway

 

 

Dunedin Railway Station

 

 

Baldwin Street

 

[Diva Onboard]

Besides having the opportunity to sit in the last car, does anyone have an idea of which side of the train to sit on for the best views?

[Australian family]

Besides having the opportunity to sit in the last car, does anyone have an idea of which side of the train to sit on for the best views?

 

You get views from either side.

 

On the way up you do get excellent views from the right side of the train.

[LuckiePuris]

Besides having the opportunity to sit in the last car, does anyone have an idea of which side of the train to sit on for the best views?

 

There were great views from both sides, from memory. If you are wanting to book the last car, I would book as far in advance as you can, and ask if they can book you on the last car.

[callmewhatever]

LuckiePuris, can u rember what the taxi fare was back to the ship? Thank's. Kay

[Kiwi Kruzer]

LuckiePuris, can u rember what the taxi fare was back to the ship? Thank's. Kay

 

You can also catch the local bus back to the port. It leaves from opposite the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. You would need to check the timetable though (google seach should bring it up).

 

[LuckiePuris]

LuckiePuris, can u rember what the taxi fare was back to the ship? Thank's. Kay

 

Hi Kay, I am unsure of the exact taxi fare but may have been around $50 to get back to the ship. Hopefully someone here may be able to give you an exact price.

 

Otherwise you may be able to contact Dunedin Taxis direct for an estimate.

 

http://www.dunedintaxis.co.nz/

 

Hope this helps :)

[callmewhatever]

Thanks

[Vader1111]

On our cruise, we were able to book direct through the operator although we booked far in advance.

 

We were fortunate to be assigned to the last carriage which also had an outdoor balcony area you could stand on during the trip. Great views and photo opportunities from the back of the train and either side.

 

As we were docked in Dunedin for the full day, we had enough time to do the trip to Middlemarch and back. We caught a taxi back to the ship from the train station, but asked him to do a bit of a tour for us on the way back.

 

We drove up and then down Baldwin Street, the steepest residential street in the world, and he also took us to a lookout where we could see our ship.

 

If you do the tour direct, be sure to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

These are a few photos from Dunedin:

 

Taieri Gorge Railway

 

 

Dunedin Railway Station

 

 

Baldwin Street

 

Have just followed your advice - am booked on the railway (direct through the operator) and have emailed them requesting to be located in the last carriage. Many thanks for the suggestion!