Cruise Companies' control of Taieri Gorge Railway?

Upcoming NZ cruise, the day we're in Dunedin, the cruise lines have bought out railway tickets to Taieri Gorge. (Feb 2nd 2018) They're not available direct from the railway, and private tour companies have been told for months there will not be any public trains while the ships are in port. The cruise lines (we're on Princess) are charging 250 to 300% of fares to do the same trip through them.

Just wondering if this is standard for Taieri Gorge now. Seems like quite a racket.

The cruise line’s train stops right at the port. We got our tickets from Back to Nature tours and they transported us to the Dunedin train station for a different departure. There was a big difference in cost.

Janice

Yes, the Dunedin train station says they will not have any public trains running that day. (until the ships leave) All the day trains are controlled by the cruise tours that day.

Hi wild blue.

We are on the solstice around your time. Same thing has happened with us. Can't book the train with anyone at all unless you do so with your ship which costs a small fortune. We found out the ships buy all the seats on the train and charge a fortune.

What we have done now is........ We are doing a private tour of Dunedin on a coach which is 2 hours to see the sights including olveston house or lanach castle which ever you prefer then dropped off at the railway and you do a train trip down the coastline. We considered this the next best tour,

Ps. If your interested I can share the tour info with you.

Hope this helps.

Cheers bob.:)

Thanks, Bob. I had heard that Taeiri Gorge is a must-see for that area, which is why I would imagine the cruise lines are looking to monopolize access. Have you heard anything about the coastline trip and whether it's worth it, beyond being the next best tour?

Thanks, Bob. I had heard that Taeiri Gorge is a must-see for that area, which is why I would imagine the cruise lines are looking to monopolize access. Have you heard anything about the coastline trip and whether it's worth it, beyond being the next best tour?

I am from Dunedin originally and last time I was down I did the coast line train. It's not super long (Maybe ~1 hour return) but the views are stunning, especially in summer and the price is fairly cheap.

I checked on their website for the 22nd Feb too, they don't have the full trip to Middlemarch for the Taieri Gorge but they have the shortened one available.

http://www.dunedinrailways.co.nz/our-journeys/taieri-gorge-to-pukerangi you could just do this one?

"

The train runs daily to Pukerangi, a peaceful outcrop out the other side of the Taieri Gorge. If you are worried that you will not see all the scenery on this trip then don’t; this tour allows you see all the best bits the trip has to offer. This trip will take four hours and is our most popular tour!"

Just wondering if this is standard for Taieri Gorge now. Seems like quite a racket.

I agree that it seems like quite a racket. It annoyed me enough to choose a different shore excursion through an independent company. I'm not going to be bullied into that steep of an overcharge on principle. Both Awesome Tours and Good Company are local companies with excellent reviews.

Realistically though, Dunedin Railways aren't going to turn down guaranteed bookings, and that trip has become so popular that the cruise lines are able to fill the whole train. Plus cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger. I agree, the cruise lines are charging far too much for this trip but it's a sellers market. If people stop booking the excursion the prices might drop, but don't hold your breath! :eek:

As others have said there are plenty of other stunning sights to see around Dunedin, and if you've already been to Dunedin and want something different look at doing a rail trip to the Moeraki Boulders, or even to Oamaru which has beautifully preserved historic buildings.

Thanks for all the info. Looking at the Dunedin railway site, it's giving me errors when I try to look at any tickets at all for Feb 2nd, 2018, the day we're in port. On the timetable brochure, it says the only train other than the Pukerangi (Taeiri Gorge) run that day is the 90 minute round-trip Waitati train. The Palmerston Seasider doesn't run that day.

Poo.

The more I research and plan for this NZ cruise, the more I get the feeling that this cruise is just going to be a tease, and to really see the best of New Zealand, I'm going to have to come back and do a 2 week land tour. Wonder if you can rent a car in Auckland and then drive the whole length to the bottom of the south island, using a ferry inbetween. The drop off the car and fly out of Queenstown or something.

Just wondering if this is standard for Taieri Gorge now.

It appears to be a demand thing.

On the day you are there, there are 2 ships in.....Golden & Diamond.

We are there the following month, and we are the only ship in port.

We were able to book direct with the Railways, and there are still tickets available for that day.

The more I research and plan for this NZ cruise, the more I get the feeling that this cruise is just going to be a tease, and to really see the best of New Zealand, I'm going to have to come back and do a 2 week land tour. Wonder if you can rent a car in Auckland and then drive the whole length to the bottom of the south island, using a ferry inbetween. The drop off the car and fly out of Queenstown or something.

It is possible to drive north to south, but I'm not sure you could do it justice in 2 weeks. We were there for 8 days and didn't even get past the middle of the north island. We had considered driving down to Wellington at least (a day there and a day back), but glad we chose not to. Some websites will say distances are deceiving in New Zealand and it takes longer than you think to drive (and I whole heartedly agree). Very few multi-lane highways, mostly just winding 2 lane roads. Great scenery though so pleasant driving, just don't expect to be going long distances in a few hours.

Thanks for all the info. Looking at the Dunedin railway site, it's giving me errors when I try to look at any tickets at all for Feb 2nd, 2018, the day we're in port. On the timetable brochure, it says the only train other than the Pukerangi (Taeiri Gorge) run that day is the 90 minute round-trip Waitati train. The Palmerston Seasider doesn't run that day.

I've booked the Waitati train for the 14th, since the morning Taeiri train was gone. I had emailed the Railway to ask if they were likely to have any cancellations for the Taeiri trip and all they would say is that they were sold out. The Waitati train departs Dundedin station and goes though Port Chalmers on its way up the coast to Waitati. You can request to be dropped off in Port Chalmers on the way back.

The day I'm there on the Diamond, Ovation is there too, an hour earlier. So 4,000 people on the dock before we even start to get off. If the cruise lines wanted to gouge some more money they could leave port an hour later so that passengers could catch the afternoon Taeiri train.

Similar to us, we're going to be there on the Diamond. Can't wait!

Hi wild blue.

We are on the solstice around your time. Same thing has happened with us. Can't book the train with anyone at all unless you do so with your ship which costs a small fortune. We found out the ships buy all the seats on the train and charge a fortune.

What we have done now is........ We are doing a private tour of Dunedin on a coach which is 2 hours to see the sights including olveston house or lanach castle which ever you prefer then dropped off at the railway and you do a train trip down the coastline. We considered this the next best tour,

Ps. If your interested I can share the tour info with you.

Hope this helps.

Cheers bob.:)

Hi, Just read your reply. We are interested in doing the same type of a coach/train rider tour that you did and would be interested in the tour info. Thank you.

Hi wild blue.

We are on the solstice around your time. Same thing has happened with us. Can't book the train with anyone at all unless you do so with your ship which costs a small fortune. We found out the ships buy all the seats on the train and charge a fortune.

What we have done now is........ We are doing a private tour of Dunedin on a coach which is 2 hours to see the sights including olveston house or lanach castle which ever you prefer then dropped off at the railway and you do a train trip down the coastline. We considered this the next best tour,

Ps. If your interested I can share the tour info with you.

Hope this helps.

Cheers bob.:)

Hi Bob, we're interested in your private tour. Can you provide details? My email dc1019 at hotmail dot com. Thanks!