Just 40 minutes from central Auckland, embark on a wilderness adventure aboard Watercare’s Rain Forest Express, a narrow-gauge railway located deep in the heart of the Waitakere Ranges.

Travel over wooden bridges that span valleys lined with ancient forest and pass through tunnels lit at night with a multitude of glow-worms (along with the odd cave weta!). Your adventure culminates in a visit to one of Auckland’s hidden treasures, the Upper Nihotupu Dam, where the silence of the bush belies the closeness of the city.