The Northern Explorer crosses Orakei basin, one of Auckland's many volcanic features. The train entered service in 2012 and will take nearly 11 hours to reach the capital 420 miles south.
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.