Auckland: Wild weta express

The Rainforest Express brings screams of delight and mock terror. Photo / Paul Rush

Squeals of delight echo through the dark tunnel. They are clearly audible above the staccato clickety-clack of the steel wheels on narrow gauge rails.

"This is freaky; I can't see a thing," says a timorous voice. Another pipes up, "Spooky eh! There's water dripping on my head!"

As the train bursts out of the dark void a dozen excited children declare that the first tunnel was "really cool" and "the wetas were humungous".

Every small boy wants to have a train set and pretend he's riding the footplate and controlling the powerful engine with a little lever. In my boyhood I had a handsome green wind-up locomotive, which I acquired from a friend in exchange for 40 comics.

Today I'm travelling on a miniature train that has brought miles of smiles and not a few screams of mock terror to thousands of children over many years. It has all the noises, smells and jolts of a real big locomotive and rolling stock.

The "Rainforest Express" miniature railway runs 6km through the Waitakere Ranges from Jacobson's Depot on Scenic Drive to the Upper Nihotupu Dam, one of the main water supply reservoirs in Auckland's Centennial Memorial Park.

The line was built in 1913 to service the pipeline from the dam to the main filter station.

The train passes through 10 pipeline tunnels up to half a kilometre long. As we approach the longest one there's mounting excitement among the gleeful young passengers. The driver lowers the engine revs and slowly applies the hydraulic brakes, so that we crawl into the dark void of the tunnel.

Torch beams sweep along the dank walls and two dozen pairs of eyes follow the light every inch of the way. Suddenly, the call goes up, "weta", followed by high-pitched screams.

The spindly cave wetas are a handspan in width. They cling to the wall in orderly rows like patterned wallpaper.

The ranks of creepy-crawly weirdos are complemented by clusters of sparkling glow worms further along the tunnel, which provide an equal measure of youthful joy and delight.

Between the tunnels are nine bridges spanning deep gullies clothed in dense goblin forest interspersed with enchanted ferny dells.

Far below the train tumbling streams glisten in the sunlight. For little people and adults alike, the Rainforest Express dishes up spoonfuls of excitement and many curious delights along its winding iron road.

At the Upper Nihotupu Dam we have half an hour to walk over the structure and admire the wilderness scenery in the heart of the catchment area. This dam has the highest elevation of 10 water supply dams in the Auckland area, but supplies just 6.5 per cent of the 340,000 cubic metres Aucklanders use each day.

The silence of the surrounding bush belies the closeness of Auckland city. We stroll up to an old camp site for a panoramic view of the Nihotupu Valley and Manukau Harbour. The train collects us from the camp for the return journey.

Miniature railway trips are also operated on a second pipeline tramway in the ranges. The "Waitakere Tramline" starts from above the Swanson Filter Station and runs to the Waitakere Dam, travelling at a sedate pace over a 2km route.

I join the "Dam Tram" on a sunny day along with several family groups. The cute little loco is called "Harvey Stewart", after a well-respected identity who worked on the line. This 20-passenger miniature train is a working piece of history - a steaming tribute to the pioneers of Auckland's water supply, who were charged with the task of finding an alternative to Western Springs and the Domain Duck pond, back in the days when the rapidly growing city had a population of 140,000 (today it is 1.3 million).

We chug along on a narrow cutting through overhanging bush to reach the first of two tunnels, which are a snug fit for the little train.

Small upturned faces are hunting for tell-tale traces of glow worm lights. Clusters appear in the middle of the tunnel and the children try to count the pinpricks of light but run out of numbers. As we emerge into the daylight every young face is lit up and wreathed in smiles.

At the terminus we leave the train and explore the concrete dam superstructure, which is truly massive.

The Waitakere Falls are in full flow, producing a thunderous roar as the dam overflows down the spillway over a 100m cliff face. The most dramatic spill occurred during Cyclone Bola in 1988 when water poured over the walkway on the top of the dam.

The regenerating bush has engulfed the sides of the dam wall, reclaiming the site for nature. The silence and tranquillity is truly memorable. Everyone re-boards the train, ready for the rockin', rollin', rattlin' journey back to the depot.

The Waitakere Ranges offer many more opportunities for fun. There are 250km of walking and tramping tracks, revealing stunning views of native bush, river valleys, waterfalls, lakes and streams.

Bird life is plentiful, with white-faced herons, grey and mallard ducks on the water margins and plump pigeons flapping noisily through the upper canopy. Fantails flit across the tracks and the shrill cry of the tui is often heard.

The best introduction to this natural splendour on the city's doorstep is the Arataki Visitor Centre, 7km north of Titirangi on Scenic Drive.

The fortunate "Westies" have the Waitakeres on their doorstep. For others the drive to the western hills is eminently worthwhile.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: The Rainforest express departs from Jacobson's Depot, 280 Scenic Drive, 5km from Titirangi Village. The standard two and a half hour trip costs $25 for adults, $12 for children 5-12 yrs. Preschoolers are free.

The Waitakere Tramline is accessed via Swanson Rd and Christian Rd, which lead to the Waitakere Filter Station. From the station it is a 500m walk to the tramline loading area. The 2.5km journey costs $10 for adults, $5 for children 5-15yrs. Preschoolers are free.

Contacts: Rainforest Express (09) 302 8028; Waitakere Tramline
(09) 818 4946 (Telephone bookings are essential).

Websites: water.co.nz; waitakeretramline.org.nz.