Hundreds of visitors, many from all over the world have enjoyed the experience!

Welcome to Awakeri Rail Adventures in Whakatane. Travel along a piece of New Zealand’s rich rail history and experience the natural beauty and adventure from the comfort of a rail-cart, cleverly adapted to be self-driven along the rail tracks. Our rail cars are FULL self drive – you are in complete control of your rail vehicle – you may stop any where you wish to take photographs (or pick up your hat).

Your adventure starts from Awakeri traveling at a leisurely 25 kilometeres per hour with family and friends along a piece of historic railway line. There are 4 bridges, numerous cuttings and bush scenes along the track.

  • star rating  Highly recommended - We would thoroughly recommend this very entertaining, educational, humorous and fun few hours, with Paul and his Awakeri Rail Adventures! So much work and effort has gone into the upgrading... read more

    GrandTour07139233540
    February 7, 2025
  • star rating  Great commentary with down to earth humour and local knowledge.
    Paul was very conscious of safety for us, himself and others.

    avatar thumb S5162FDmikeg
    October 17, 2025
  • star rating  A great experience (especially for those with younger family!). Paul was extremely informative and clearly very passionate about what he was doing. His enthusiasm rubbed off on all of us!

    avatar thumb TrekingLouise
    January 31, 2019
  • star rating  Stunning scenery and a friendly local business. - Wow, what a trip! The scenery was absolutely stunning. The guide was hilarious and shared a lot of his local knowledge. We had our young son with us and he... read more

    Jordan O
    December 23, 2024
  • star rating  What a great day out. Our engineer Paul took us all on an enjoyable trip stopping along the way to experience nature at its best. A fantastic day out with... read more

    avatar thumb GarthA63
    March 1, 2019

Travel along a piece of New Zealand’s rich rail history and experience the natural beauty and adventure from the comfort of our rail-cart

Awakeri Rail Adventures offers three types of trips.

The first and most popular trip is the Bush walk and snack run 9am-12:30pm & 1pm-4.30pm. It covers 20 km of track and includes a guided short bush walk, a stop for a relaxing track-side snack and hot drink, as well as the opportunity to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese. This trip takes 2.5 to 3 hours and departs twice daily.

THE TWILIGHT TRAIN IS AN EVENING TRIP OPERATING IN THE SUMMER MONTHS ONLY, FOR VISITORS WHO HAVE OTHER ACTIVITIES EARLIER IN THE DAY. A FANTASTIC TRIP ON A SUMMERS EVENING. IT STARTS AT 5.30 PM AND CONCLUDES AT ABOUT 9PM .   (IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL  CHILDREN.) FARES ARE THE SAME AS THE BUSH WALK AND SNACK RUN.

The third trip is the “Chicken Run.” Covering 10 km of track, it’s ideal for kids under 5 years old. Along the way, feed the chickens, explore an old railway hut, and meet “Pushy,” the 75-year-old bulldozer.

CHICKEN RUN & TWILIGHT TRAIN  ARE BY ARRANGEMENT ONLY BY CALLING – 08005374724
OTHER TRIPS CAN BE BOOKED ON LINE (OR CALL US)  

Conveniently located just down the road from Awakeri Hot Springs

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