Voted 65th of the 101 Must Do's for Kiwis
If there is one New Zealand experience which captures our
‘innovative, can-do’ Kiwi attitude it is riding on Barry Brickell’s
Driving Creek Railway in Coromandel town.
The one hour
mountain railway ride from the Driving Creek terminus, through regenerating native
forest to the Eyefull Tower, with its stunning views of the Hauraki Gulf, is a result
of the lifetime project for one of the Coromandel’s true characters.
Barry escaped Auckland’s hustle and bustle
over 30 years ago to the solitude of Coromandel township. As New Zealand’s
first full time potter Barry constructed a narrow gauge railway up the mountain so he
could transport clay from the hills for his pottery. Ironically, he became
so inundated with requests for rides on his railway he opened to the public and
eventually it has become the Coromandel’s most popular attraction.
The ride departs from the Driving Creek
terminus where resident potters and glassblowers can be found busy at work, and
exploring the arts centre on site is an experience in its own right. Engineers can
be seen hard at work maintaining the carriages have been hand built on site.
One of the
driving passions behind the project has been to restore the 22ha of land the railway
travels through and its uniquely magnificent kauri forest, of which vast areas were
destroyed by early colonists. The railway zigzags its way through lush
regenerating native forest over bridges, through tunnels and past sculptures and water
features.
