The last few miles of the 680Km/420 mile Northern Explorer journey from Wellington are along Auckland's waterfront. Auckland is known as the city of sails, reputed to have more yachts per person than any other city in the world. This line is shared between Eastern Line trains and KiwiRail trains serving nearby port.
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.