Taieri Gorge Scenic Railway Journey from Dunedin
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take a scenic round-trip or one-way journey through the wilds of New Zealand’s South Island on the Taieri Gorge railway from Dunedin. Departing from downtown Dunedin’s attractive railway station, you'll gaze out over ever-changing corners of the New Zealand countryside inaccessible by road. With informative and entertaining live commentary on board, gain insight into the railway’s construction and the challenges faced by engineers—in addition to the epic views.
- Take a railway journey to Taieri Gorge from Dunedin
- Listen to informative commentary on board
- Take in the New Zealand countryside while you ride
- Tour is wheelchair accessible
What's Included
- Scenic rail tour (round-trip from Dunedin)
- Live onboard commentary
- Food & drinks (available for purchase)
- Alcoholic beverages (available for purchase)
- Parking fees
- Souvenirs/DVDs
- Hotel pickup/drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Dunedin Railway Station22 Anzac Avenue, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Departure Point: Dunedin Railway Station - Downtown Dunedin, 22 Anzac Avenue, Dunedin. 7 minutes walk from the Octagon Please note - The Taieri Gorge train tour to Pukerangi is 5 hours return. All tours depart from and return to Dunedin Railway station.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:30 am
Itinerary
1
Dunedin Railway Station
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Taieri Gorge Railway (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children ages 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Wheelchair access is limited. Please contact Dunedin Railway Station at least 72 hours in advance to check availability.
- Seating is allocated at the time of purchase. Check your ticket for details.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
bcripps1
The Taieri Gorge is unique with wonderful scenery and the only way to experience it is by taking this trip, which was recently filmed by the BBC for their 'World's Great Train Journeys' series. The train crosses bridges and viaducts and offers an amazing variety of views as it climbs up through the gorge. A special moment is when the train stops just over half way up the gorge, offering passengers the opportunity to walk across one of the long viaducts via a specially constructed footpath and providing some stunning views. The train them crosses the viaduct giving passengers a unique opportunity for photographs before getting back on. There is the opportunity to purchase items from a range of stalls set up by locals at the top end of the gorge while the locomitive changes ends. The seats are very comfortable, restrooms clean and there is an excellent cafeteria serving a range of food and drinks at attractive prices. An excellent commentary full of stories and history of the gorge is provided.
Highly recommend this trip. Great value, great experience. Don't miss it.
Reviews
4.5
based on 962 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Lorraine, Jul 2026
A great trip Comfortable seating but you have the same seat both ways so you miss the views on the opposite side of the track Request from Staff if there is an available seat on the other side so you get to see both sides of the trip
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We are happy to hear you enjoyed the beautiful Taieri Gorge, and appreciate your feedback around the seating - we will keep this in mind :)
Matilda_A, Jun 2026
Great, fun but cold and wet had an amazing time would bring cash as card doesn’t work on the train (can set up a bill/tab)
Response from Host, Jun 2026
We are so glad you enjoyed the beautiful Taieri Gorge, even in the rain and cold. It was a pleasure having you on board.
David_W, Jun 2026
Great way to see Otago country that you would not see from road. Comfortable trip with good and switched staff
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks for the great review! It is truly a special way to see the landscape. Lovely to hear that our staff made the trip enjoyable, it was a pleasure having you on board!
Shirley_d, May 2026
With the love of train trips I'd mark this one up. Comfortable.. scenic.. well catered for. Informative.
Response from Host, May 2026
It is fantastic to hear you enjoyed the journey! We're thrilled the scenery and catering met your expectations, and that you found the commentary informative. Thank you for the high praise—it was a pleasure having you on board!
susan_s, May 2026
It is an experience not to be missed. The commentary was very informative and a pleasure to listen to
Response from Host, May 2026
It’s fantastic to hear you enjoyed the journey! We’re thrilled the commentary added to your experience—our team loves sharing the unique history and stories of the gorge with our guests. Thank you for the high recommendation; it was a pleasure having you on board!
Petrina_W, Apr 2026
A realy awesome railway journey. The scenery and views are incredible. A very enjoyable relaxing day trip.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thanks so much for your lovely review Petrina, hope to welcome you back again soon!
Jill_L, Apr 2026
A three hour trip as very long and more comfort stops are needed. While the information given may seem to be necessary, it should be condensed much more
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia ora Jill, we appreciate you taking the time to share this. The trip is set up as a relaxed, scenic journey with commentary woven through the experience, so there’s space to take it all in. We know that pace can feel different depending on what you’re looking for.
Ian_G, Apr 2026
A pleasant 5 hour trip with good commentary.
Views of the gorge were good.
Food on the train but no food at the destination.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thanks for your review, Ian, so glad to hear you enjoyed it and hope to welcome you back again soon :)
Blair_P, Mar 2026
A relaxing way to see outstanding examples of rock formations, rivers and isolated scenery. A great day out
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Isn't it amazing to think what was achieved back then! Thanks for your review!
bcripps1, Mar 2026
The Taieri Gorge is unique with wonderful scenery and the only way to experience it is by taking this trip, which was recently filmed by the BBC for their 'World's Great Train Journeys' series. The train crosses bridges and viaducts and offers an amazing variety of views as it climbs up through the gorge. A special moment is when the train stops just over half way up the gorge, offering passengers the opportunity to walk across one of the long viaducts via a specially constructed footpath and providing some stunning views. The train them crosses the viaduct giving passengers a unique opportunity for photographs before getting back on. There is the opportunity to purchase items from a range of stalls set up by locals at the top end of the gorge while the locomitive changes ends. The seats are very comfortable, restrooms clean and there is an excellent cafeteria serving a range of food and drinks at attractive prices. An excellent commentary full of stories and history of the gorge is provided.
Highly recommend this trip. Great value, great experience. Don't miss it.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
What a lovely and thoughtful review! We're so happy to hear you enjoyed it and got so much out of the experience. We hope to have you back again :)
Julie_V, Mar 2026
Perfect way to see the Taireri Canyon and hear all about the history of Otago. Great food on board and excellent description of the history of this area. Beautiful views from both sides of the train.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
The scale of the engineering still surprises people — glad you noticed it, and great to hear the cafe hit the mark!
KATHY_W, Mar 2026
Stunning scenery. Great guide who was very knowledgeable about the area and very funny. Worth it....
Response from Host, Apr 2026
The team put a lot into making it a good experience — nice to hear that came through, especially the humour!
Sue_A, Mar 2026
Scenery was beautiful and commentary interesting.
It was a bit crowded with a 1 year old and the buffet cart was pretty limited in what it offered
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Appreciate you taking the time to share this. As a shared experience, our trains welcome guests of all ages, and at times that can mean a livelier atmosphere than expected. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on board again in the future.
Kit_C, Mar 2026
Dress for every weather type, and consider a sun visor to keep the sun out of your eyes in the train car. The cafe food was delicious but the service was slow, given the number of people onboard. Beautiful countryside, fascinating history, and good stories.
We had a grand time. There was a good balance of sitting and watching time, and walking around time.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Sounds like you picked a good sunny day for it. Thanks for coming along and for the kind words.
Paul_R, Mar 2026
The view was amazing and walking across the bridge was a highlight even though it rained. Really good commentary.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Glad the scenery delivered — it only gets better as you go. Thanks for coming along and for the kind words.
Rosemary_R, Feb 2026
Easy travelling , staff friendly , food on board lovely , but you queue ! Get lunch early cos they run out. Bring NZ dollars as cards don’t work most of trip
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Really appreciate you taking the time to share this.
Clyde_A, Feb 2026
Wonderful, must do. Great views through the gorge. Individual sharing historic information was help to better understand the development and history of the area.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
There’s plenty behind the scenes of that railway — good to hear it came through.
Bob_D, Feb 2026
Well presented company and well done with the commentary...
The actual scenery was breathtaking and learning about the men and women who lived on site while building the line through the gorge jaw dropping...
Response from Host, Apr 2026
There’s so much happening behind the scenes of that railway—it's great to know it all paid off in the end!
Tina_E, Feb 2026
Visiting from the UK, we booked this trip before we arrived in New Zealand. Superb trip - the guy speaking was very knowledgeable about the area. Little cafe on board - although you could do with more staff serving as the poor girl was run off her feet!
All in all, an enjoyable day.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
The team put a lot into making it a good experience — nice to hear that came through.
Alison_M, Feb 2026
We really enjoyed the trip. The scenery was great. And our couple of short stops added to the journey. Unfortunately it was very hard to hear the commentary as we went along but all in all very enjoyable
Yves_G, Feb 2026
Great experience, amazing views, confortable journey. Sitting on the right side of the train is a big plus as the train is going back and forth rather than turning around (only the loco does), and the best views are by far on the right side. Yet, we don't get to choose because the seats are assigned to us at the registration desk. It would be very easy to assign a seat one way (S3A for instance; window seat left side of carriage S), and then the seat on the opposite side on the way back (S3C, window seat, right side of carriage S). This simple difference would have moved my evaluation to a 5-stars rating.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sad to hear that aspects of your journey weren’t as relaxing as you’d hoped. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on board again in the future."
Helen_C, Feb 2026
Excellent commentary and knowledge sharing. Made the trip far more interesting. Perhaps more GF food.
Lynn_L, Feb 2026
Definitely worth taking this trip. Takes you through very dramatic landscapes. Commentary was very informative. Having viewing cars would increase riders appreciation of the gorge
Susan_H, Jan 2026
Fun day out, great scenery and informative commentary. Weather wasn’t great but it didn’t matter. Well worth doing.
Dianne_T, Jan 2026
Great journey through amazing countryside. Take snacks and a camera and enjoy the ride. All ages catered for with 2 chances to hop off. Cinnamon scolls at the market at the top delicious 😋.
Julie_H, Jan 2026
It’s a wonderful trip through gold fields history and comes with a wonderful live commentator, great photo opportunities and helpful staff and a nice little train cafe (but only filtered coffee, no lattes!). A terrific experience
Jeanie_S, Jan 2026
Enjoyable way to spend a day. Beautiful scenery. Good for on board. Crafts sold at the little village where the train repositioned the engines. Very nice homemade soaps, balms and honey.
Phillip_S, Dec 2025
Great scenery great experience great tour something different to do
Meet other cultures and people etc
Paul_L, Dec 2025
The first part of the train journey was somewhat ordinary but as you travelled further the scenery turned out to be quite dramatic. The commentary was very interesting giving facts and details of the history of the area and the people who worked there during the gold rush of the mid 1800’s. Walking the bridge across the gorge was a welcome interlude. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip.
Kim_M, Dec 2025
We went to the beautiful historic rail station to board the train which was a wonderful ride through gorges and along a beautiful river, the scenery was fantastic and the food on the train was ok. Once we reached the end the engine dismantled and was put on the other end for our Journey back, everyone swapped sides of the train so you see the scenery on the other side which was a great idea.
From $101.08
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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