INDEX 2014 TO PRESENT

2026

NOV    Argentina/Falklands/South Georgia/Antarctica

AUG   Alaska

May    France

JAN    Finland/Norway

2025

FEB    Japan (Hokkaido, Tokyo, IzoKogan)

APR    New Zealand (8 trains, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland)

JUN    Singapore

SEP     Fiji

OCT    Egypt/Jordan

2024

MAR    New Zealand (Wellington, Marlborough)

JUN     Fiji

AUG    New Zealand (Wellington, Christchurch)

SEP      France/USA

2023

NOV     Churchill Polar Bears and Oregon

SEP       Japan, Japanese Islands, Taiwan, Singapore

MAY     Galapagos and Machu Picchu

2022

APR      Svalbard (Above the Arctic Circle)

2021      COVID (Mom stuff)

SEP       Uluru

2020      COVID (Mom stuff)

2019

DEC      Antarctica

SEP       Danube Cruise and France

2018

DEC     Australia

NOV     Singapore

JAN     Australia

2017

AUG    Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa

JUL      Boston and Maine

FEB      Colorado

2016

DEC     New Orleans

NOV     San Diego

OCT     France

JUN      Thailand and Cambodia

MAR     Spain

FEB      Colorado

2015

DEC     Colorado

SEP      England and Ireland (Ashford Castle)

JUN     Thailand Golden Triangle and Chicago

FEB     Killington

JAN     France

2014

DEC    Belgium, Luxembourg, Bastone, O.B.E.R. Beer Festival, France, Christmas                    Markets

OCT     Al Andulus (Spanish Andalusian Luxury Train - best ever)

New Zealand Train Holiday - Final

It has been a fun and enjoyable trip. As the group disbanded in Wellington, the consistent theme was one of fatigue. This type of trip attracts seniors. Nineteen straight days on the go takes a toll on seniors and the sentiment of the evening reflected that toll.

An early morning Air New Zealand flight has us out of the airport before brekkie.

How does Air New Zealand do it? This is another nutty business class design. There are three aisles of seats. Along the windows, the very small modules are lined side by side angled forward. In the middle the seats reflect those of the window side behind them. You can see the side of the head of the person in front of you. 

Carol is on the window aisle. She is looking at a 'wall' and the back of CJ's head. CJ's seat looks across an aisle to the other window aisle. He is looking at a man seated next to his very young and well-behaved daughter.

It's been a long trip. We should not have scheduled a trip to Melbourne in three days!

Auckland

The weather for our second visit to Auckland is better. Although there is intermittent rain, there is no State of Emergency and businesses are open.

In Wellington, harbor watching consisted of the comings and goings of the two large (one white, one blue) inter-island ferries, two smaller ferries servicing the far side of the bay, and the rare arrival or departure of commercial vessels and the movement of tugboats to guide them.

Here is Auckland, we are staying at the Intercontinental by IHG. The hotel is on Quay St., the road along the water. There are few buildings on the other side of the street, EXCEPT for the historic building just across the street.

Our room's field of view provides us the constant movement of the "ferry circus". Just below our room, at least ten ferries operate. They come and go constantly, often arriving together and forming a queue or ferry gridlock.

Since Movida has inexplicably permanently closed, we return to Ebisu, the place just below it, for dinner. The Indian sake master has been replaced by a Japanese woman sake master. She is better and steers us to two very good sake. How do we know she knows her stuff? CJ shows her pictures of various sake we enjoyed on our latest Japan trip, she instantly picked out the "super expensive" one. We have a 180ml of the Denshin Rin Junmai Daiginjo before moving to a bottle of the Dassai 39 Junmai Daiginjo. The woman determines that the style we like is Daiginjo. Previously we knew what we liked but not what we preferred. 

It's the last full day in New Zealand of this holiday. It is another unsettled day with periods of sun mixed with rain. This time some of the rain is accompanied by lightning.

By early afternoon the rain has passed and a beautiful day breaks out. We continue to pass the day in the hotel. Even a spell of decent weather doesn't stimulate a desire to explore.

Train #7 - Great Northern

Today after a mad dash through brekkie, checkout, and the short ride to the train station we board the Great Northern for the ride to Auckland. We are in Scenic Plus, the coach where you get food and drink service throughout the 11-hour ride.

The carriages must have arrived while we were not watching. What brought them here, the locomotive is still unattached.

This decorated carriage is the Scenic Plus carriage.

The scenery on this train is different. The fields more rolling, the hills more barren.

We have a short early section along the coast. Eventually we follow a gorge for a long period.

One of the highlights of the ride is the view of Mount Ruapehu. With rain and fog we never see it.

A lounge and cafe carriage is located between our Scenic Plus carriage and the carriages of Scenic class.

igiugug

Eventually CJ makes his way to the open-air view carriage.

The open-air carriage is the place to cop pictures of the train.

Napping passengers corresponds with more boring scenery.

The view from our room.