Latest news with #GreatJourneys
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Connecting the south by rail
Passengers prepare to take a return journey to Christchurch on the Southerner earlier this month. Photo: Linda Robertson The rhythmic sway of the train moving through our stunning Otago countryside is a special part of the Southerner experience. As Robert Louis Stevenson famously said, "All of the sights of the hill and the plain; Fly as thick as driving rain". The last time I rode the Southerner was in 2001 — I recall the pleasure of the landscape, the book I was reading (Pig Earth by John Berger) not to mention the coffee and sandwich I enjoyed along the way. Inexplicably, the following year this great train service was put to bed. We look forward to the day when a trip to Christchurch by train is the normal way to travel, a journey that can be as productive as we need or as relaxing as we want. And there is an appetite for it. When Great Journeys recently announced a limited return of the Southerner for several days this year, people were enthusiastic. Tickets were sold out within days of going on sale. Demand for the return of a regular service is strong. On a recent Sunday, I joined other MPs, councillors and members of the public at a "Save Our Trains" forum in Dunedin to discuss steps we will need to take to restore passenger rail in the South, to restore the Southerner. Also that weekend, there was an announcement at the Regional Development Summit of funding for an "inland port" and the reopening of the Hillside Workshops maintenance facilities. The time is ripe for a restoration of passenger rail alongside an increase in freight by rail. A train trip is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel and produces about 80-90% fewer CO₂ emissions compared to the same trip with a flight. With the rising costs and general inconvenience of flying between regional centres, passenger rail stacks up both financially and environmentally. This matters. Recently I attended a presentation by Antarctica New Zealand where we heard about the scientific research under way in Antarctica, including all important climate science. Antarctica's ice plays a crucial role in regulating global climate while its melting ice also raises sea levels. The Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier" is now at risk of catastrophic failure, and when it slides into the sea and melts, it will raise sea-levels by about 80cm and trigger more ice loss, more sea-level rise. We should be urgently taking every action we can to reduce emissions in order to slow global heating (and reduce the risk from the collapse of the Doomsday Glacier). One of the most sensible things to do is to reduce emissions from transport. Clearly passenger rail has a critical role to play here. We already have the tracks, and Hillside Workshops is now back up and running. Let's not forget that Aotearoa was once linked up by passenger rail between regions and main centres — including from Christchurch to Dunedin — and to a myriad of small towns in between. By the turn of the century this once thriving rail network was pared back to a mere skeleton of its former self. The 2025 government Budget revealed some funding for rail, but it is all for the North Island, and much more is being spent on urban highways, again leaving us in the Deep South out in the cold. This could change if our southern voice is heard loudly enough in Wellington and when southern MPs from both government and opposition do the mahi to support a restoration of passenger rail. Already there appears to be a consensus among most southern MPs that the restoration of the Southerner is desirable, and the question then turns to how. The Green Party Budget launched in May sets out a clear budget for the return of several inter-regional rail connections including our Southerner. Save Our Trains has prepared a handy factsheet about the feasibility of this rail link on their website. We can have a transport network that works for everyone, giving people real choice. Travelling by train through ever-changing landscapes is a special pleasure we should all be able to enjoy, "[as] ever again, in the wink of an eye; Painted stations whistle by". Time to leave the station, let the rhythm of rail do its thing, and embrace the journey! Scott Willis is an Ōtepoti-based Green Party MP. Each week in this column writers address issues of sustainability.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Forbes
5 Extraordinary Rail Journeys With A Food & Wine Theme
Coastal Pacific train, part of Great Journeys New Zealand's new Signature | Flavours of Aotearoa New Zealand Sometimes the journey, not the arrival, is what matters. Especially if that journey includes exceptional food and drink along the way. An increasing number of luxury rail operators are gilding their rail journeys with culinary themed programs, enhancing their already noteworthy offerings on trips that cater to an appetite for the golden days of rail travel. It's part of a growing trend in culinary rail tours, where guest chefs, fine dining and drinking are on par with the vistas from your window. Here are five such trips to consider, on trains featured in my forthcoming book, National Geographic's 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Rides (which will be published in October 2025). Great Journeys New Zealand has just launched the Signature | Flavours of Aotearoa New Zealand tour, an 18-day culinary rail adventure from Auckland to Queenstown. You'll be riding the country's most extraordinary scenic trains: the Northern Explorer, the Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine. This new journey combines scenic train routes from the North Island to the South Island, linked by crossing the Cook Strait on a scenic ferry journey. It's a trip packed with curated culinary experiences, showcasing New Zealand's local produce, wines, and cultural traditions. Highlights include visits to Marlborough's vineyards, a Māori herbal medicine tour, and a high tea at Zealong Tea Estate, not to mention a Christchurch Food Walking Tour. The price starts at NZD16,499 ( $9,656) per person, based on double occupancy (as are all trips discussed here). Whiskey galore on board The Royal Scotsman. The Royal Scotsman's Scotch Malt Whiskey Tour is a four-night trip aboard the Royal Scotsman luxury train. Expect 24-hour steward service and all meals aboard the train, from a full Scottish breakfast, multi-course lunches and dinners, and all beverages, including alcoholic drinks. Whiskey is the centerpiece of this trip, with a private tour of the Benromach distillery, a visit to Rothiemurchus Estate, and a specialist single-cask whisky tasting. Guests receive a one-year membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and a visit to their headquarters. There is an exclusive Whisky nosing and tasting with whisky expert and prolific author, Charles MacLean. The journey promises to be lively, with traditional ceilidhs on board and evening entertainment in the Observation Car. The round-trip journey from Edinburgh includes visits to Glenmorangie House and Glenmorangie Distillery, the historic Tomatin Distillery, and the Tullibardine Distillery. During the trip, there's time for wild swimming, archery, or fly fishing. Priced from £9,100 ($11,980). Napa Valley Wine Train The Napa Valley Wine Train runs from Napa to St. Helena, a six-hour excursion featuring refurbished antique train cars that evoke the romance of luxury rail travel in the early 20th century. These are century-old Pullman Train Cars, refurbished with etched glass dividers and polished wood. Traveling through a landscape of 43,000 acres of vines bearing cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and zinfandel grapes, among other varietals, the trains offer an ideal way to taste vintages and experience the beauty of America's most famous wine-growing region. The classic trip is The Legacy, which runs round-trip from Napa to St. Helena, with wine tasting in an open-air railcar, a multicourse lunch highlighting seasonal wine-country fare, and stops at two St. Helena wineries, Charles Krug and V. Sattui, for seated tastings. Priced from $514.80 La Dolce Vita Orient Express La Dolce Vita Orient Express, the first Italian-made luxury train, debuted in April 2025. The train's inspiration is La Dolce Vita, 'The Sweet Life,' a phrase synonymous with the country's design and cultural flair in the 1960s. The train has several themed trips, and The Truffle Route, from Rome to Nizza Monferrato and back to Rome, is a three-day journey that includes an on-board dinner under the direction of 3-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck, followed by live music and entertainment. Nizza Monferrato. Piedmont is famed for its UNESCO World Heritage vineyards and its truffles. There's an optional experience at a local winery and a truffle-based lunch. In the afternoon, the train departs for the overnight trip back to Rome. Priced from €8,320 ($9,210. Chef Andre Chiang on the Eastern & Oriental Express This luxury train that travels between Singapore and Malaysia features Tastes of Tomorrow: A Culinary Gathering with André Chiang. Chef Chiang is the train's star chef, and on these special trips, he's joined by Michelin-starred guest chefs Vicky Cheng, Jason Liu, Jungsik Yim, and acclaimed bartender and mixologist Shelley Tai. Departing from Singapore, there are nightly dinners on board prepared by Chef Chiang and his guest chef. Highlights include visiting Taman Negara National Park, where you can explore the habitat of the critically endangered Malayan tiger or join a nature photographer and conservationist for an afternoon in the jungle. On Penang Island, you can visit George Town Old Quarter and explore in the company of the chefs to learn about Peranakan cooking. Priced from $7,350.
