Riding from Auckland to Whangarei on the Silver Fern railcar

The Silver Fern rail car in Whangarei. Photo / Supplied

Tina Trenkner-Meade rides from Auckland to Whangarei on the Silver Fern railcar.

The train: The Silver Fern railcar, built in 1974.

My seat: The dream: A comfortably wide window seat and an empty aisle seat next to me. Power outlets available if you wanted to plug in.

Cost: The chartered train ride, as part of a three-night package tour with Pukekohe Travel, cost $1,387 twin share. Single supplement was $220.

How full: 64 passengers on board, but the train could hold about 90.

Fellow passengers: Mostly pensioners. Some train buffs. And a 31-year-old travel writer who likes sipping wine and getting lost in her train of thought.

Trip time: Roughly 5 hours. The trains can't go much faster than 50 km/h on the rails.

Food and drink: Susanne and her team kept us all satisfied with the lunch and drink service. We rarely went an hour without an offer of a hot drink, beer or wine (via cash bar).

Entertainment: A KiwiRail magazine. Otherwise, bring your own entertainment: One brought her knitting. Others played card games. Don't depend on internet access: There's no Wi-Fi on board and no 3G during some parts of the journey. Just appreciate the chance to go offline and let the green, lush scenery entertain you.

Would I ride this again: Absolutely. Why is there only a chartered passenger service between Whangarei and Auckland? Is there not enough demand for passenger rail up to the Winterless North?