The sun is shining in Auckland when we arise and we are off to ride the Driving Creek Railway, it is a narrow gage mountain railway. To get to the location we have to drive almost three hours up the Coromandel Penisula. For part of the way we are driving at water's edge (on the left hand side of the road!) around sharp curves and very narrow road as we wind northward beside the Firth of Thames (a very large inlet from the ocean). The train trip includes 2 spirals, 3 short tunnels, 5 reversing points and several viaducts on its way to the top of the mountain. And the "Driving Creek Railway" lived up to our expectations, making the harrowing car ride fade in the distance.
The small railway was built by one man, Barry Brickel, who operates a pottery shop
on the side of the mountain. It originally was built as a means to bring clay from a clay pit up the mountain down to the workshop. As people came to the pottery shop, interest developed in the unique narrow gage railway.
Narrow gage railroads are the type of rail track usually seen in mines and logging sites in days of old. The rails are about 15 inches apart and they permit very sharp turns and steep grades. Barry, a 71 year old bachelor, kept adding sections to the railway zigzagging its way further up the mountain. It now snakes its way 2 and 1/2 miles up the mountain to a location with a spectacular view. There Barry built the "Eyeful Tower" to permit a view spanning 30 miles.
We returned to Auckland for a great Thai dinner then back to the hotel.
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