Awakeri trail - lots of fun for everyone - Very interesting stories and funny commentary by the guide. It is great fun for young and old. Worth spending 2 hours here

  So interesting and so much fun for both kids and adults of all ages. Worth your time, money & drive. Or a perfect gift - 100% worth it! Paul our tour guide is hilarious yet very thorough and safety conscious. The train ride is so much fun! 🐓😉

  A great railway trip - The railway runs through lovely country. The White Pine bush walk is stunning.
The trip is relaxing and fun. The host, Paul, provides very good instruction
about safety and driving... read more the rail trucks. It's a great way to spend a couple of hours. Highly recommended.

  A very enjoyable and entertaining trip and about the right length. Tripping along in the cart is a different experience from walking or driving. A short walk in... read more the bush ending with a gumboot fence was amusing. Another stop for a cuppa in a secluded spot with a local weka and chook made it enjoyable.
Thanks very much

  The Rail adventure was right next to where we were staying, so we thought we would give it a try. Myself and my 2 teenage daughters enjoyed driving the... read more carts over bridges and through tunnels, the scenery, the bush walk in the Kahikatea trees, and feeding the chickens.
It is a cute and quaint idea, the carts are very easy to drive and I love that it uses an existing infrastructure in a new way.
The tour guide, Paul, obviously knows his onions and is passionate about his project; I'm sure he has a lot of local knowledge and stories to tell.

However, the cringy humour, sexist and racist jokes and general bullying manner tainted the whole experience somewhat.
I don't consider myself overly sensitive and don't mind an irreverent joke but this was neither funny or smart and certainly not subtle. If your idea of a safety induction is to make people feel like idiots, then this is for you!
A little less inappropriate chat and a bit more local knowledge and history would have made for a more interesting day.
I felt like apologising to the two Russian New Zealand women who were made to feel like unwelcome tourists in their home of 17 years with Putin jokes and general buffoonery; it was embarrassing.

I have since read some of the other reviews and can see that I am not alone with these views.
Perhaps time to learn to read the room!

I am still giving 3 stars because I think it is a fun idea and could be a really enjoyable day out; I see others here have given it glowing reviews so I would still suggest trying it for yourself.