The returning southbound TranzCoastal train heads south from Kaikoura in the late afternoon. While in Kaikoura you can whale watch, swim with dolphins, watch the fur seals, eat at Hine's fish-and-chip shop and railfan the Pacific Ocean coast among other attractions. Out of shot to the left are the snow capped mountains of the Seaward Kaikoura Range.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.