Northern Explorer is the new train between Wellington and Auckland which cover the 680Km/ 420 miles in about 11 hours. It is seen north-bound at Manurewa with only a few miles to go. The DCP is a rebuild of EMD G12 DA class.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.