The Taieri Gorge railway travels through the Taieri River Gorge offering amazing views which would otherwise be inaccessible. The trips show an insight of the building of the railway as well as demonstrates the resilience of the early pioneers and settlers of New Zealand.
The Otago central Railway branched from the South Island Main Trunk at Wingatui and ran through Middlemarch, Ranfurly, Omakau and Alexandra to Cromwell in the heart of Central Otago, 235 kilometres from the Junction. Before the route was chosen there were seven different options and the route was chosen in 1877 because it accessed the greatest amount of Crown Land and presented less engineering difficulties. The route was the most direct to Dunedin and with the Otago Gold Rush well and truly over and the focus had moved to the agricultural development of New Zealand.
Now, the railway offers various scenic tours throughout Central Otago and regardless of whether you are a train enthusiast there are trips to suit everyone. You can check out the Dunedin Railways website here
