Click photo to enlarge Absorbing the steamy atmosphere at Middlemarch

Twelve-year-old Hamish Bedwell was not going to let a bit of rain stop him travelling from Middlemarch to Dunedin on a motorised jigger.

"I like the jiggers better than the trains," he said, dressed in a yellow oil slicker to keep him dry and warm as the uncovered jigger followed the steam-hauled train back to the city yesterday.

The Dunedin boy and his father were two of thousands who travelled to Middlemarch for a Labour Weekend train festival.

Click photo to enlarge Absorbing the steamy atmosphere at Middlemarch

Twelve-year-old Hamish Bedwell was not going to let a bit of rain stop him travelling from Middlemarch to Dunedin on a motorised jigger.

"I like the jiggers better than the trains," he said, dressed in a yellow oil slicker to keep him dry and warm as the uncovered jigger followed the steam-hauled train back to the city yesterday.

The Dunedin boy and his father were two of thousands who travelled to Middlemarch for a Labour Weekend train festival.

Click photo to enlarge

From tomorrow, passengers travelling on the Taieri Gorge Railway's summer Seasider trains can choose to board the "Orokonui Express" and combine the trip with a guided tour of Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

The Seasider train usually offers a half-day trip between Dunedin and Palmerston on 46 days through the summer.

Those booking for the Orokonui experience will travel by train from Dunedin to Waitati, and then transfer to a 22-seater bus for their trip to the eco-sanctuary.

Click photo to enlarge

From tomorrow, passengers travelling on the Taieri Gorge Railway's summer Seasider trains can choose to board the "Orokonui Express" and combine the trip with a guided tour of Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

The Seasider train usually offers a half-day trip between Dunedin and Palmerston on 46 days through the summer.

Those booking for the Orokonui experience will travel by train from Dunedin to Waitati, and then transfer to a 22-seater bus for their trip to the eco-sanctuary.