Recently, me and my five-year-old son left the rest of the family at home and headed to Wellington for the weekend on the Overlander train. We had so much fun together and for weeks afterwards I noticed he would do anything I asked him to do, while I took his side more often than before when he had disputes with his little sister. It was a great way to make that bond closer, especially now he’s off to school during the week and life can be a bit hectic.
It was also nice to see that my great-great-grandfather Peter Seton Hay’s engineering work on the line, viaducts and bridges were all still in tact over 100 years later. I never really listened when I was told about this clever man in our family, but travelling the line really made me appreciate his work and I started to read about his life.
The train crew were also really friendly, so much nicer than air cabin crew who always seem like they have some private joke going at the passengers’ expense. I’d recommend the Overlander – once at least.
