Scavenger Hunt # 5 - A Train

For all of everything that New Zealand has, a great train service is not one of them.
They seem to have enough track laid everywhere but they have stopped most trains running due to cost.
There is a train that runs from Auckland to Wellington but it only runs every other day, it goes down to Wellington on Monday back up to Auckland on Tuesday and then repeats until Saturday, when it ends back in Auckland ready for Monday morning. Not exactly your most efficient service, nor popular one obviously. It does also take 10-11 hours each way!

It does pass through Hamilton but you would never know it. It is called the Northern Explorer and for all its slowness and lack of service I do still want to take the boys on it as it passes through some gorgeous scenery of New Zealand on its way from the top to the bottom of the North Island. They have just rehashed the timetable and that is why it now runs even less than before, however I have a feeling that one day it will cease to run altogether and I hope to have taken the boys on it for the experience more than anything before it stops.

We have a few tracks that are used for cargo trains but again you are lucky if you happen to see them, however I do manage to hear them....they have a train that passes through Hamilton at about 11pm and again at 4am. When laid in bed at night reading I can hear the train go through as it is so quiet, same with 4am if I happen to be awake.

So you can imagine finding a train to picture was going to be slightly tough unless I went for a model train or a picture. I so didn't want to end up taking a picture of my sons' Thomas the Tank Engine set either

I was thinking that I may end up cheating and just show you lots of pictures of empty track and tell you that sadly we missed the train, but things took a turn for the better.....

Whilst away we did manage to see the pleasure train that runs between Waihi and Waikino in the Bay of Plenty. It is a train that has been made over by some enthusiasts and runs on weekends for a 25 minute trip from Waihi to Waikino and then back again.
I managed to get a picture but we were a) driving past in the car and even though Steve managed to slow a little it was lucky that I got the picture when I did and b) it was raining just a tad, like it had been since early hours of the morning and continued until Monday afternoon!

So there I had it, an actual train which is a very rare find in New Zealand.


Although whilst driving away at the weekend we passed a sign for an upcoming train track and there was a perfect train picture on the sign. I told the family that on the way home on Sunday we needed to stop and picture it for the hunt.
So even though we managed to get a picture of the real train an hour before hand on the drive home, we still stopped so I could get a picture of the sign....

Here's hoping your train picture was easier to find than mine?

Trains, Trains and Trains

In the last couple of weeks Ben has really got into his trains.
We set up some track in the study on the weekend before his birthday and it has stayed there ever since.
We started with a pretty basic set up and as he has gained more track along the way for different things, like birthday and extra special gifts for very good behaviour, we have extended it.
He loves disappearing into the study and running his trains, Steve loves joining him too.


Alex likes to help but seems to spend more time getting yelled at for sitting on the track or running off with a train.

The last picture here shows Alex with his own little track and train, our little way of trying to distract him from what Ben was doing, but as you can see all he wanted to do was sit on it and keep showing Ben stuff.

Birthday Party

So we invited a few little friends over and had a little party to celebrate Ben's 4th Birthday.
We did nothing too special, just as it happens to turn out, the same as last year, a little trip on a model train.
Everyone really enjoyed it, weather turned out great and then it was back home for a little party tea and cake.

The kids all got on so well and were racing all around the house.
They all particularly enjoyed playing hide n seek. So it was really cute to capture Ben and Alex both taking a turn at seeking.
They both took it so seriously and stood with their hands over their faces whilst counting to 10.

Toilet Training

Our biggest fight with Ben at present is getting toilet training sorted. We have only been going at this since January!

He is dry during the day with the exception of #2's. Try as we might we can not get him to use the toilet or to even register with us that he needs to go or has even been.

So imagine our delight this morning when he came running through the house saying he needed to go toilet.

And that is exactly what he did, sat on the toilet and did his business.

Of course there were huge cheers, lots of Hi 5's and the promise of a big reward from the toy shop.

We are not going to mention it to him again, maybe if we just get on with things he will go again tomorrow all by himself? I do hope so, as at the rate we are going Alex is going to be ready to be trained and we won't have finished with Ben!

Whilst the Open Home was on we took the boys to the aformentioned toy shop. Ben is into Dora and Thomas the Train. Seeing as there was nothing little in the Thomas range that he needed, he came away with a Dora jigsaw puzzle as his big reward for todays efforts.

Glenbrook Vintage Train

Steve has always mentioned that there is a vintage steam train somewhere south of Auckland.
As both the boys love trains we decided to venture there one fine Sunday morning.
After quite an eventful trip there, hence to add I now know to take at least 2 changes of clothes for both boys whenever we go anywhere! We arrived to find a lovely sunny day with not too many people around.
We had some lunch and then ventured onto the lovely restored steam train for a 45 minute return trip across some of South Auckland's green fields.

The boys had a wonderful time on the train, although the ticket did allow us to go again but Ben decided that he didn't want to go on the train again, but did want to go on the little 'Rigger' that you could help with up and down the track in front of the station

3rd Birthday

Last week was Ben's Birthday, so we held a little party. As you can see all the little friends had fun with the cake.

We gave Ben a train set for the special day, him and daddy have lots of fun putting tracks together when Alex is asleep and not disturbing them!

Latest Craze

The latest craze in our house is 'Choo's' or for everyone else this means 'Trains'

For the last couple of months this fasination has been getting stronger, although I am sure we assisted with this by getting a train set for Ben's 3rd Birthday last week. In fact it doesn't matter what type of train it is, any will do, it is the same with planes, although that has been assisted by the fact we live close to an airport and if the planes are landing on a particular runway then they fly over our house, nice and low and very clear 5 minutes before they land.

Isn't is amazing what holds the fascination of a 3 year old!