Original subtitles

BILL NIGHY: Join us on this spectacular journey

through New Zealand...

..one of the most dynamic places on Earth.

It's always changing depending on the sea, the sky.

It's beautiful. I just love it.

On an ambitious railway faced with many challenges...

This was started in 1898 and took ten years to build

using picks and shovels.

It is a very smart piece of engineering.

..we'll explore this land of lava and legends

and see how nature shaped its railway.

There weren't many survivors

and those that were, were washed down the river.

We'll visit places brimming with history and wildlife...

She would be expecting us to be sharing it with people

and sharing our family story and why we are still here.

Lovely journey.

..and meet the people who live and work along this special railway...

Another busy day on the Northern Explorer,

but absolutely wonderful.

..at New Zealand's vibrant capital.

Welcome to Wellington.

This is no ordinary railway journey,

this is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world,

The North Island, New Zealand.

The majestic North Island,

a land famous for its volcanoes and its dramatic scenery.

Our journey starts here, in Auckland.

Sprawling between two coasts and sitting on 48 dormant volcanoes,

this buzzing city is the biggest in the country.

Just before dawn at Auckland Strand Station,

our train arrives and so does our team.

They'll be travelling in style

on this 5-car diesel-electric DF locomotive,

on a route described as an engineering miracle.

For some it's the first time on this train, but for others...

..it's a nostalgic trip on a railway they know well.

See you later, Pearl.

With departure time fast approaching so is Bruce,

our onboard service manager.

I basically look after all the staff

and make sure they get fed and watered.

I look after any passenger issues

and basically make sure everything goes to plan.

So, yeah. What do you call it? Holding everything together.

And at 7.45 sharp they're off.

Right ready for lift off.

ALARM BEEPING

CONDUCTER: Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of KiwiRail,

welcome on board this Northern Explorer service to Wellington.

On the first leg, we'll travel through Waikato and King Country

till the line rises to the extraordinary Raurimu Spiral.

We then climb up to Tongariro National Park,

see its three volcanoes, and cross its giant viaducts.

We'll stop at Tangiwai, the site of the country's worst train tragedy,

before our train thunders high above several ravines at Rangitikei.

As we reach the sea we'll explore the glorious Kapiti Coast.

And after 423 miles and 11 hours,

we will arrive in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.

My name is Bruce. Working with me are Hatim, Christine and Richard.

Another busy day on the Northern Explorer

but it's absolutely wonderful.

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and things,

so all very good. Is everyone well behaved today?

I'd like to think so, so far, yes indeed.

As our train heads south down the centre of the North Island,

our passengers can just relax.

It's a much better way of seeing the country than driving.

You don't see much when you're driving, of course.

There's some stunning scenery to see,

so this is definitely the way to do it.

The Main Trunk Line is one of the most historic railways in the country.

It's no surprise that it attracts many connoisseurs

of the train world...

How fast are we going?

We're doing about 80k's.

..like Alan and his sister Margaret.

To me, rail just has a sense of adventure

and that's what I really enjoy.

Where does the rail go to? Who are you travelling with?

The country you see.

Every time you travel it's a different experience.

Our train now heads into the Waikato district,

named after New Zealand's longest river.

It is one of the richest agricultural areas in the world.

In the mid-19th century,

the European settlers cleared the native forest and built tram lines,

but to move this timber around the whole country,

they needed a new railway.

It was one of the reasons that in 1872

work started on the North Island Main Trunk line.

It would also make a huge difference to passengers.

In those days, for people to travel to Wellington

they would take the train from Auckland town to Onehunga,

board a sailing ship, sail across the Manukau Bar to New Plymouth,

and then board the train from New Plymouth to go to Wellington.

It was probably a journey of five to six, seven days at the most.

In all, 14 tunnels...

..352 bridges, including ten giant viaducts, were built

plus mile-upon-mile of track through this wild landscape.

It took 23 years of back-breaking work to complete.

Margaret, a retired tram driver,

first took this rail route as an infant.

I grew up on the trains.

I was six weeks the first time I went on the train, apparently.

I don't remember that trip.

But the thing I do remember is,

every year, it was a Christmas thing,

we'd go down and see Grandma,

I was getting on that train determined

that I was going to stay awake longer than Alan.

Hopefully there'll be no sleeping today.

Two and half hours into our journey and we're heading into King Country.

TRAIN HORN BLOWS

The arrival of the Europeans and the railway

brought enormous changes to the Maori here.

Conflicts arose and their land was forcefully confiscated.

This was a deeply regrettable time in New Zealand's history.

Professor Tom Roa, explains.

When the railway was put through, Maori had no control,

and so the desecration of those kinds of spaces

were beyond our control.

They lost their lives, their livelihoods.

All of this land we see on both sides of us

at the present time were taken away.

The railway even went close to Mount Taupiri,

a sacred mountain and burial ground for the Maori royals.

This is the burial place of the Maori kings.

As you can see the mountain is really covered with grave sites.

It is the most sacred space for the Waikato people

and here it is right beside the railway.

In the last few years,

the government has been trying to re-address the wrongs of the past.

But much is still to be done.

No wonder a Maori elder and warrior said...

.."We will fight on forever, forever."

We've travelled 200 miles since we left Auckland

and the railway is starting to climb.

We're just coming into township of Raurimu at the present time

and the road on the left is the original old coach road.

This was one of the last sections of the line to be built,

and for good reason.

A steep escarpment, rising over 200 metres from the valley floor

to the Volcanic Plateau above.

No train would have the power or traction for such a slope.

But in 1887, engineer Robert Holmes had an ambitious plan

to overcome the steep incline, the Raurimu Spiral.

By carving into the rock a huge horseshoe curve, two tunnels

and a complete loop, trains can climb the 456 foot ascent.

It is an engineering masterpiece.

The gradient here was a complete 150.

You'll hear the engine working hard now.

In the old days of steam trains they were double-headed

with the most powerful locomotives available

to haul trains up this steep gradient.

So important is this section

that KiwiRail must regularly perform safety checks,

and they rely on a pretty unusual vehicle.

So this is one of our high rail vehicles

that we operate in KiwiRail.

And it just allows us to get to places

where access is very difficult.

These clever dual-mode trucks can drive on roads and rail,

riding the parts that others just can't reach.

I think it's really neat.

It's much better than the old jiggers that we used to have,

a lot more comfortable.

It's got heaters and air conditioning.

The first stage is a giant horseshoe bend,

cut deep into the hillside.

That's geologically a lahar.

A lahar is about 60m thick and it includes lots of large boulders.

This was started in 1898 and took ten years to build.

It was mainly done by just straight manpower using picks and shovels.

The 2,000 strong team had just dynamite, muscle power,

and pack horses to work with, while living in brutal conditions.

It's very, very hot here in summer

and in winter it's quite harsh,

lots of frost and snow.

It would have been pretty inhospitable

if you were living in a tent.

Smothered in dense native forest, it took ten long years to complete.

So it is a very smart piece of engineering.

So we're right up the top now.

Despite advances in technology in the century since its completion,

no feasible alternative to the spiral has ever been found.

And even today it is internationally recognised

as being one of the most important spirals, in terms of the railways.

Having travelled up the spiral,

our train now climbs...

..onto the Volcanic Plateau,

sometimes called The Roof of the North Island,

as we continue our journey into the land of volcanoes.

We're five and a half hours into our journey

travelling down the centre of dramatic North Island...

..wow at an average altitude of 800 metres...

..passing through some of the world's most spectacular scenery.

Our onboard crew are all regulars.

I've been here two years and five months now

and I thoroughly enjoy it.

There is always someone new to talk to

and I really enjoy that about the job.

The vistas out the windows

and obviously good tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

The next leg of our journey

takes us into the breathtaking Tongariro National Park.

We'll cross several iconic viaducts to reach Ohakune

and after another five miles along this ancient volcanic land,

we'll arrive at Tangiwai,

a town no New Zealander will ever forget.

For the next hour, we are within New Zealand's most active volcanic zone.

For the last 1.5 million years deep below this area,

two tectonic plates are being forced together...

EXPLOSIVE BANGS

..causing eruptions...

..and creating this high plateau of ancient lava and ash.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

Unperturbed, the onboard service happily continues.

That's $17.

Something that manager Bruce enjoys, and has done since he was 17.

This is my second home.

I am probably more familiar with here than I am at home.

I can almost tell where we are just by listening to noises

like bridges and tunnels, yeah.

So it's no surprise he knows fellow regular train traveller, Alan.

Have you had a nap yet?

Your sister told me had a bet on who is going to have a nap first.

I haven't had a nap yet. No. I said to her,

"Is Alan going to have a nano-nap cos he's not getting any younger?"

Oh, thank you.

Lovely journey.

Hatim will have a nap later.

He gets tired because apparently he overworks.

I think that's an optical illusion, but you know...

Our next station is the highest stop on the Northern Explorer route.

At 809 metres, it is also the gateway to Tongariro National Park.

Passengers disembark here to explore its three famous volcanoes,

Mount Ngauruhoe,

Mount Tongariro...

..and Mount Ruapehu,

which is the highest at 2,797 metres.

Through this dramatic active area of craters and lakes

is the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

140,000 people a year take this incredible 12-mile trek.

CONDUCTOR BLOWS WHISTLE

Whilst the approach was relatively flat,

now the journey abruptly changes.

Rivers flowing from the volcanoes cut into the plateau,

forming deep ravines.

The rail surveyors could not avoid them

as any detours would be too lengthy.

So they bit the bullet

and constructed a string of giant, complex viaducts.

Including this one, the mighty Makatote,

the highest on the Main Trunk Line at 79 metres

and 262 metres long.

Steel fabrication for it began in 1906.

What was extraordinary was that all the materials

had to be carried in by horse and cart from Raurimu,

including 15,400 square metres of steel

to build the intricate lattice work.

Coming up shortly, we will cross the new Hapuawhenua Viaduct

which is a concrete structure that is still the longest viaduct

on the North Island Main Trunk

and it was built in the 1980s

as part of the re-alinement of the central section of the Main Trunk

for the preparation of electrification.

The Hapuawhenua Viaduct is a rare curved construction,

gracefully spanning 284 metres at 45 metres high.

In fact, you get two for the price of one

as there's also the abandoned original 1908 steel truss viaduct...

..now - a popular walking and cycling trail.

Our next station stop is Ohakune.

Until 1908, this was once the terminus for trains from Wellington.

From here passengers had to go by horse and coach to National Park,

where they could catch a train to Auckland.

Operating a railway through an active volcanic

is going to have its hazards.

But the biggest risk isn't always lava and ash.

In an eruption, the worst threat is Mount Ruapehu's crater lake.

If its walls collapse it releases a lahar.

A fast-flowing volcanic mudflow which is incredibly destructive.

Our train is now approaching Tangiwai,

a Maori name meaning Weeping Waters,

and one particularly poignant.

In 1953, Barbara was living near the railway with her family.

It was the 24th of December.

I remember coming home from midnight church on Christmas Eve

and turned the radio on expecting Christmas music.

And there was this dreary music saying what had happened.

And we just couldn't believe, you know,

that this could be happening in New Zealand.

The walls of Ruapehu's crater lake had collapsed,

unleashing a torrent of water and debris.

Such was its force that it swept away the bridge at Tangiwai,

just minutes before the Wellington-Auckland Night Express arrived.

The train and six carriages plunged into the raging icy mudflow.

151 people were killed.

20 of them were never found.

So powerful was the lahar

that one carriage was carried three miles downstream.

You can see here on this memorial

are all the names of all the people, young and old.

And it was full at Christmas time.

The timing of the accident couldn't have been worse.

People were going home to have a joyous Christmas

and that should happen.

It's unbelievable.

I think I was probably 16,

but it's a memory that's stuck in the back of my mind forever.

Now the area has six lahar warning systems

and bridges like this one are reinforced

to prevent such a disaster ever happening again.

Our train has crossed the high Volcanic Plateau

and now descends into a land of dramatic deep gorges,

where we'll see the first-ever bridge in the world

that was built to rock.

We're on a remarkable ever-changing train journey

from Auckland to Wellington, the country's capital.

Our southbound Northern Explorer has now been

cruising for over 250 miles.

Our train now turns south at Waiouru

to follow the North Island Main Range mountains.

We'll pass over three iconic viaducts in the Rangitikei area,

through Palmerston North to finally reach the coast and Kapiti Island.

We get little things like this sometimes,

where everybody comes out in waves

and you'll get a little break for ten minutes

and then they'll all come down again.

On a busy train we can have queues out the door

like down to the thing there.

We serve them pretty fast. And people eat a lot when travelling,

I don't know why, but they do, and they drink a lot too.

So, yeah, fun times.

I love trains. I just love the noise.

I love the "boo-boo", I love the "choo-choo-choo".

I just love trains.

It beats flying. And the views, you can't pay for these views.

We're travelling through the Rangitikei District

and with about eight hours of the journey completed so far,

I'm certainly feeling alive and awake and with full senses.

My sister here has been trying to do the nod off,

but I'll give her due credit. She hasn't shut her eyes yet. No-no.

You yawned so I thought I was in for a winner.

No, I was just unblocking the ears from the altitude drop.

Do you believe that? Yes, I do.

We are now travelling on a new section of railway,

opened in 1981, the 4-mile-long Mangaweka Deviation.

It required the construction of three massive viaducts

so spectacular they are not to be missed.

Ooh, here we go. Here's the first viaduct,

this is the North Rangitikei Viaduct.

Towering 78 metres above the Rangitikei River,

the bridge spans across the White Papa Cliffs.

These distinctive mud and silt-stone rocks

are unique to this area...

..but there's one they are all waiting for.

Here's the big South Rangitikei Viaduct.

It's one of the tallest and longest rail bridges in New Zealand.

It is not just structurally strong,

coping with 110 trains crossing it every week,

but it can sway with Earth's punches,

the first of its kind in the world.

Last year alone, this area had 65 earthquakes,

and across New Zealand, 15,000 were recorded.

Engineer Rudolph has worked for many years as a bridge consultant.

Now he is part of the team that maintains this special Viaduct.

This is the beauty of being a bridge engineer.

You can get out of the office and spend a day

and look at beautiful bridges. What more do you want?

This is a beautiful bridge...

..and whether it was intentional or not, but the concrete,

which is very often not seen as very aesthetic,

but if you superimpose that onto the papa, the mudstone,

it fits in pretty well.

Earthquakes do pose a big risk for bridges in particular,

cos very often bridges are lifelines and links,

so if a bridge goes down it's a major disruption.

And so, yeah, they pose challenges to engineering.

Incredibly the extremely tall 78-metre high twin piers

are not locked into the ground.

The towers are isolated from the Earth

by ingenious steel pin systems called dampers.

They allow some movement

while dissipating the energy of an earthquake.

What's going to happen is

the earthquake will effectively shake the ground,

but in effect, the bridge is going to start do this.

It is going to start rocking.

And in that case there'll be pressure on that leg

on the other side, for example if it's this way

and this damper will try and keep it down.

And because of the nature of seismic forces,

it's normally an oscillation, so you

could end up with the bridge starting to do this.

And so the whole design is predicated

around keeping those legs down on the ground.

This is a magnificent piece of engineering.

It's simplicity. It's clean.

It's the first in the world that seismic dampers

have been used in a bridge.

Although this viaduct looks simple,

it is designed to cope with even the biggest seismic events.

I would have a lot of faith that this bridge would perform

pretty well in a large earthquake.

New Zealand has done a great job in earthquake engineering

and it's known worldwide for the expertise.

And this is just one of those examples of ingenuity.

We're running just over ten minutes behind schedule now.

We'll be in to Palmerston North just before 16:30,

for those of you travelling there.

From Palmerston North, it is 50 miles

through the fertile agricultural region of Manawatu

to reach the Kapiti Coast...

..a place close to Margaret's heart.

This is my part of the world.

I moved here permanently 18 months ago when I retired.

And I guess part of its special

as our grandfather bought the first section there

when the beach was opened in 1928.

So as kids that's where we always went to.

After we got the train to Palmerston,

we'd come down to the beach.

Margaret isn't alighting here at Paraparaumu today...

..but if you do, it is a good place to take off on a wild adventure.

Just three miles off the coast is Kapiti Island.

Although just six miles long and a mile wide,

surprisingly it has been inhabited for over 800 years.

It's also a sanctuary for many threatened bird species.

Pania Barrett lives and works here full time.

This is all our supplies coming off from the mainland.

Island living.

As a guide and natural guardian,

she teaches about the importance of protecting the island.

They brought five little spotted kiwis out here in 1912

and those five birds saved that species from extinction.

But it's not just the wildlife that has a long history here.

So has Pania's family.

1,500 Maori came out here in the 1820s,

including her great-great-great-great-great grandfather.

But before their arrival,

European whalers had already established villages on the island,

as the Tasman Sea nearby was a nursery for whales.

The Maori realised they could benefit by trading with these settlers.

My family arrived in the 1820's

and have had a presence on the island ever since.

Always as the Kaitiaki or the "guardians" of Kapiti Island,

keeping a watchful eye on what goes on out here.

At first it was all about whaling

and building ties with the Europeans.

They very quickly established a relationship with the whalers.

So they knew they had these different technologies.

They knew they had different food supplies.

They knew that they had the muskets or the guns

and they knew what kind of firepower that could provide

and protection that could provide for the Maori people.

My great-great-great-great grandmother, Metapere Waipunahau,

was married to George Stubbs the whaler.

They set up a whaling station on Motungarara,

one of the three small islands. They had two sons.

These children grew up straddled between the two worlds,

so each community could benefit.

In its heyday there were about 3,000 people living out here

stretched along the island.

But through that time they were so successful at whaling

that they almost hunted those whales to extinction.

The islanders had no choice but to turn to the land.

Stripping 80% of its lush native forest, they started farming.

It wasn't for another 50 years, in 1897,

that the New Zealand Government declared the island

a forest and bird nature reserve.

The farms were removed, native bird species re-introduced,

and all predators were eradicated.

It was no longer a sanctuary for the poor possum.

They took out 22,000 possums over a six year period

through that process.

They know how many they caught as they were paid-per-tail.

The native birds could then flourish.

Now the island is home to at least 60 species,

like the flightless Weka,

the Kaka, the island's friendly food opportunists,

and the shy Takahe, who have needed a little encouragement.

So that's Blitzen.

Blitzen was brought out here last summer in an arranged marriage

to come in and settle in with her

in the hope that they would become friends and then start breeding.

For the last 100 years,

Pania's family has continued to protect the island.

They've always wanted to share the place

and their conservation work with visitors,

in some quite surprising ways.

Her great grandmother set up a bowling green.

She also encouraged people to come out and stay with her

as like an island retreat

and then had a tennis court and lawn bowls just out here

and she would host people out to come and stay with her.

So she was sharing it with these upper class European people.

And then she would also share with them stories about people

and how we ended up being here in the first place

and how Maori connect to the land

as well as playing bowls and tennis at the same time.

But they'd go back and start talking and filtering that story out

amongst the community of the upper class European.

Lots of people say she would have been so proud of you guys

for still doing what you do out here.

But the reality is she wouldn't have been proud of us.

She would have been expecting us to do this.

She would be expecting us to be holding on to the land,

sharing it with people

and sharing our family story and why we are still here.

That's the end of Kapiti.

Wherever you are on the coast you can always see Kapiti.

So you get all the different aspects.

It's a very sacred place for a lot of people.

Our train continues to cruise along the glorious Kapiti Coast,

as its climbs towards Wellington.

It's always changing depending on the sea the sky.

It's beautiful. I just love it.

We are on our final stretch onboard the Northern Explorer.

After travelling ten hours, we've reached the shimmering Kapiti Coast.

Although our train only passes through here...

..Paekakariki is a unique place

and one close to local legend, Michael O'Leary's heart.

He runs New Zealand's only second-handbook shop in a station.

It's a very special place. It's a place of history, travel.

People who live here tend to really love it.

This station in particular, we're very lucky to have it

because it was due to be demolished in 1992

and the local people got together and saved it.

They said, well, what are we going to do with it?

So it got turned into a museum.

I've been involved in bookshops for, you know, 40 years now.

I came to live in Paekakariki 20 years ago

and that makes me almost a local.

And all my novels begin and end on the train.

You know, railways have played a big part in my life

and I think they are such an important part of our country.

Paekakariki.

The whole expanse opens up. You've got the beautiful coastline.

I just love the view.

Whichever aspect you see of it, it just makes you smile

when you see the summit of it.

And some beautiful sunsets some nights.

It's a very special place.

I guess it something I guess I've never taken for granted

and I really appreciate that I live in such a special part of New Zealand.

We're now going to go through a series of tunnels

and it's really quite amazing,

the engineering that went into giving us this rail route,

particularly when how long ago it was built

and the tools they had at the time to build tunnels.

As you can see we're climbing a bit now.

Squeezed between the mountains and the Tasman Sea,

the trains now have to climb around 200 feet.

In the age of steam, extra power was needed to thunder up

these hills, inspiring poets like Will Lawson.

"Stoking on the Paekok with 30 wagons on,

"choking in the Paekok when air and daylight's gone,

"and hearing her roaring funnel, a thrashing in the tunnel,

"a Firing on the Paekok with just your trousers on."

These twisting, steep hills to get to Wellington

were no good for heavy freight trains,

so in 1928 work began on a deviation,

not over, but right through the mountains.

We got to go inside because we're going through the two long tunnels.

So they close the viewing deck here.

These were no ordinary tunnels.

Burrowing deep into the greywacke rock,

through earthquake prone land, they took five arduous years to build.

The first tunnel was three quarters of a mile long.

But Tawa No 2 became the longest double-track tunnel in New Zealand,

stretching to over two and half miles.

Well, big brother, we're 20-25 minutes out.

Yes. And you're still awake. I'm still awake.

And I have no intentions of giving in in the last 20 minutes.

I should have popped something in that tea.

I thought all that talking might have worn you out. No way.

It's been a brilliant day. It has been a gorgeous day,

the scenery has been fantastic. It's been a smooth ride.

What more would you want

travelling down the historic main spine of the North Island?

It's nearly half past six,

and it's time for our old train friends to say farewell.

Welcome to Wellington. Come and join us again.

You know you love travelling by train.

And you are welcome any time of course.

I'll be on a train in a moment's notice, you know my travelling.

And I look forward to seeing you and having your expertise

and joyous banter at any time.

Is it an addiction? No.

THEY LAUGH

I think it is. Obsession.

Yeah, yeah. That's right.

After more than 400 miles and 11 hours

our train pulls into Wellington Railway Station.

See you again.

This iconic earthquake-resilient station was built to last

and is the gateway to Wellington.

Tucked between the glittering harbour in the south...

..and lush tropical hills to the north,

this city has a population of just 214,000.

No wonder it's called "the coolest little capital in the world."

On our journey through the dynamic heart of the North Island,

from Auckland to Wellington,

we have travelled along great feats of engineering...

..crossed a land of active volcanoes

and explored towering bridges,

before reaching the beautiful Kapiti Coast.

It is one of the most scenic and captivating train journeys in the world.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media