We were leaving Auckland today so we had a really early start just after 5am as we had a train to catch at 7am. Luckily the station was just down the road so we didn't have far to carry our stuff before we boarded The Overlander train and set off just after 7:25am.

The Overlander is the oldest train in New Zealand and runs from Auckland in the North all the way to Wellington in the South. It takes 12hrs and goes over 600km through the heart of North Island.

Some of the scenery on the way was just breathtaking, even though it was wet and foggy a lot of the time. You can really see why they filmed Lord of the Rings here!

The highlight of the trip was when we stopped at Tongariro National Park for 30mins at lunch. The national park is on the volcanic plateau right in front of Mount Ruapehu which was a stunning sight as its permanently covered in snow due to its height. We could also see Mount Tongariro which is the largest volcano in New Zealand. After the stop the journey continued as we went through what is known as King Country as its the spiritual home to the Maori people. Really impressive landscapes with constant massive rolling hills and gorges where you go over lots and lots of viaducts.

Anyway, at 7:25pm we arrived in Wellington and thankfully only had to walk about 600m to our hotel.

We'll do another blog soon but will finish on......DAM ITS COLD IN WELLINGTON! :)