The train hidden in the Waitākere Ranges - and the fight to bring it back
Kia ora neighbours, a tourist train nestled inside the Waitākere ranges has been rusting away for nearly a decade – but a group of volunteers hopes to get it running again.
The Rainforest Express was a miniature railway that ran 6km through the ranges from Jacobson's Depot on Scenic Drive to the Upper Nihotupu Dam, one of the main water supply reservoirs in West Auckland.
At the end of 2014 the express was closed after a geological report found there were 20 at-risk sites across the tramlines, with nine of those posing a “significant” risk to public safety.
Since then the rainforest express and its tramlines have been “rusting away”, Waitākere ward councillor Ken Turner said.
Read the full story below.
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
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10.3% Yes! New Year, New Me
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20.1% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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69.6% Nah - not for me
Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.
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85.6% Same!
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14.4% Would have liked to try something different
Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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78.7% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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21.3% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
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