Ultimate self-drive rail car journey
Description
Ride in your own self-drive RailCruiser through Rotorua’s hidden forest — a gentle adventure on a historic railway line brought back to life.” Travel along scenic railway tracks offering a unique perspective of Rotorua’s breathtaking landscapes, 1000 year old virgin native forests, rolling farmland and views over Lake Rotorua. With space for up to four passengers, these petrol-electric rail cars provide comfortable seating and clear views through waterproof sides, allowing you to savor the sights as you cruise at a leisurely 20km/h. Listen to the audio tour and delve into the rich history of New Zealand’s railways while enjoying stunning views of Lake Rotorua and Mount Tarawera. This innovative experience is perfect for families and adventurers alike, making it a must-do when in Rotorua.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Rotorua Railcruising Station is your starting point for your journey up the rails. After a short safety briefing your guide will settle you into your rail car and set you up the track. On the way you will see rolling farmlands, 1000 year old native forests, views over Lake Rotorua.
Passing through the site of the now gone Tarukenga Station, you can see to your side Toi te Whenua, a 5.5 m high aluminium sculpture positioned alongside the road to greet travelers as they enter Rotorua from the Waikato side.
A little further on, on the right hand side of the track is the Tarukenga Marae. This Marae is a Te Arawa marae located just outside Rotorua, and closely tied to Ngāti Te Ngākau and Ngāti Tura hapū of the Te Ure o Uenukukōpako iwi. Its wharenui (meeting house) is named Te Ngākau, and it serves as a cultural, spiritual, and community hub for the local people
Ohokeriki or Dansey Road Scenic Reserve is a 468-hectare native forest west of Ngongotahā, Rotorua, known for its ancient rimu and tawa trees, rich biodiversity, and conservation efforts. The railway drives through this native forest that is 1000s of years old.
Mamaku Railcruising Station stands on the site of the original Mamaku Rail station and is your turn around point, or end of your journey. Here you will disembark and able to go inside the beautiful log cabin for a hot drink. You can watch a video on the history of Railcruising, or browse through historical and local information. Bathroom facilities are also available here.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Pet friendly
- Baby changing Station at Mamaku Station
Reviews(57)
If you like travelling on the open rails then I think you will enjoy this. Why even Francis Bourgeois might enjoy this. The rail car can fit up to 4 people and drives itself along the 25KM (there and back). The stop halfway was at a relocated train station and you can get some a hot drink and a cookie. It was a lot of fun. Just fast enough and low stress.
This is an awesome idea and hope it spreads throughout the country. Would be 5 star if there was a little more commentary, or maybe an option to put some light tunes on as the journey does go for longer than expected! Wear warm clothing as it can get chilly. Nice touch with the hot drink in beautiful log cabin at the top 🙂 highly recommend!
This was a nice little trip. A bit over priced. The guy at the beginning and end were great. Was cold so wear warm clothes. Blankets provided. The audio was limited, could have had much more information on it.
Kia ora and thank you for joining us on the RailCruising adventure. We’re glad you enjoyed the trip and found our team welcoming at both ends of the journey. It certainly can get chilly up in the Mamakus, so we’re pleased the blankets helped keep things comfortable. We appreciate your feedback about the audio commentary and will continue working to add more stories and information for future guests. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Friendly informative staff, would have liked to have seen more about the railway at Mamaku - history of the railway
Kia ora and thank you for cruising with us and for your kind words about our staff. The Mamaku railway has a rich history, and your feedback about wanting more information is really valuable. We’re working on ways to expand the historical content we share so guests can enjoy even more of the story behind the line. Ngā mihi for your review.
The scenery was amazingly beautiful and just being able to sit back and enjoy everything around you was a bonus. be cold but the blankets provided were a nice touch.
Kia ora and thank you for joining us. We’re so glad you enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the chance to sit back and take it all in. It can get chilly up in the Mamakus, so we’re pleased the blankets helped keep things comfortable. We appreciate you sharing your experience.
Very interesting, we did the 3 pm trip and would suggest you wrap up warm as it can get a bit chilly especially when you’re reaching the top, but the blanket supplied were a bonus !!! unfortunately for us we found the commentary very muffled by the sounds of the rail car itself, especially on the way up but a little clearer on the way down and would suggest that maybe some ceiling speakers? The staff were amazing and nothing was a problem for them. would highly recommend going on a clear day.
Thank you for your review. We’re glad you enjoyed the trip and found the blankets helpful on a chilly afternoon. Our team will appreciate your kind words. Thanks also for the feedback on the commentary — we’ll look into improving clarity. A clear day really does make the views shine, and we’re happy you’d recommend the experience.
Truly one of a kind experience and so so so fun!! I went with my family and we all had a blast. The scenery was amazing and our guide was the best! 100000/10 would recommend 🤍
It is wonderful for our team to hear how much you enjoyed the excursion. Thank for booking with us and for the great review.
Very poor , wasn’t evident that price was in US dollars so cost us lot more. Wouldn’t recommend trip advisor to anyone. But rail trail was great and their service was great also. Pity we didn’t book direct.
We are so sorry you got caught up with Tripadvisor charging in USD. When notified we immediately made contact, unfortunately we were unable to liaise with them on your behalf. We hope this has been successfully resolved for you.
Overall experience fantastic. Loved the self driving railcar with warm blankets to wrap up as it was cold. It was beautiful blue sky day in winter. Loved riding on forgotten rail lines. Able to see parts of the Mamukus you normally just drive through. Excellent staff, very friendly and knowledgeable. We both felt it was worth the price.
We appreciate you taking time to review us and thank you for the comments. You travelled through Dansey Reserve the largest area of untouched natural bush in the North Island. Happy you were able to see it's natural beauty.
It was a blue sky winter's day. Both of us love any type of train travel. It is part of the original train route to Rotorua. Easy to book over the phone. We were offered senior citizens rate, which was much appreciated. Our trip began leaving from Ngongotaha and traveling through the Mamaku ranges. It was cold, but there were thick blankets. The rail cars are self driving and well ccontrol them All you had to know was how to put on the hand brake. All railcar are GPS tracked, so they would know if you break down or have an emergency. Plus the bonus was the hot drink at the Mamaku station. The views are stunning.
It's so nice to hear our customers enjoy the trip through Dansey Reserve, climbing level with the tree tops before getting to the edge of the Mamaku Ranges. A hot drink is always welcome at the end of an excursion. Thank you for taking time to review us.
