Driving Creek Railway, Coromandel Town

Driving Creek Railway is definitely the tourism gem of the Coromandel. It's a single man's labour of love over 30 years as he built the railway by himself (mostly) section by section. Rather than repeating the same words, read the excellent history from their website.

The 1 hour ride was enjoyable even if I felt cramped in the small seats. I was sitting across from a New Caledonian couple with their toddler so I amused myself looking at them teach the daughter how to apply sunscreen. The breathtaking parts were when we emerged from bush into a clearing and we could see across the Hauraki Gulf to all the islands nearby.

Pottery on display, presumably made on site

Previous tour group coming in

Brick kiln

Tour guide explaining do's and don'ts

At certain points during the trip, the driver has to come down and switch tracks as it's going to go up the other way

There are 2 trains on every tour

The original final stop

Final stop

The Eyefull Tower

Observation deck offering wide views - notice the pollution free sky bursting with unparalleled levels of UV rays

One of the tunnels we drove through

It's just amazing how one person has the vision and the dedication to take this through to the end.