The Northern Explorer is nearing the end of a 420 mile journey from the capital as it skirts the waterfront approach to the new downtown station in Auckland. This rural looking scene is only a few miles from the CBD of New Zealand's largest city.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.