Ride the Private Railway of an Eccentric Potter

Riding high on a narrow gauge railway through the native bush is a lot of fun.

International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007
Auckland, New Zealand

In 1974 eccentric local potter Barry Brickell needed the yellow and red clay from the hills for his craft, and pine wood for his kilns. But these resources lay two miles north of town, and the journey to bring them back to Coromandel was across tough terrain.

So, Barry bought 60 acres of hilly native bush, and built a narrow gauge railway (the best way to carry heavy loads through sharp curves).

Today, Barry's railway (http://www.drivingcreekrailway.co.nz) is a great day-trip from Auckland. As more people visited the pottery, the train overtook the sculptures and bowls in popularity and the Driving Creek Railway is a now major tourist attraction. The trains, with names like Dieselmouse and Possum, are all purpose-built by Barry and his staff in the machine shop, to traverse the track that zigzags across the hillside high on the Coromandel Peninsula.

The main station is a hodge-podge of buildings: pottery store, garden nursery, old bookstore, glass-blowing studio, and machine shops. Every day the trains leave the station in the care of local drivers. My driver, Pete, is an artist who gave up his business in town to work on the railway. He gives a humorous account of the development of the project, and running commentary on the plants that threatened to climb in the train with us (but take seriously his safety warnings--keep your head and elbows inside the train, or risk serious injury). We crossed eight bridges and viaducts, built over deep gullies. To make the hairpin turns in some places, the train must reverse and then approach from the opposite end.

Terracotta tiles and sculptures enhance tunnel entrances, and numerous sculptures dot the sides of the hills, and banks are constrained by “bottle walls.” Pete tells us: “Bring us 100 empty bottles, and we’ll give you a couple of free rides…bring us 100 full wine bottles, and you can ride forever.”

Visible from the train are hundreds of young kauri trees. Over 90% of the Coromandel’s kauri forest was lost to fire during old government-inspired land clearance schemes. Over the past 30 years, Barry has planted thousands of trees to replace what was lost. The pine trees, originally introduced by California gold miners, are ring-barked. These are used for timber and to fire the kilns. Wide varieties of other native plants are being re-introduced, too.

At the top of the grade sits the Eyefull Tower, with outstanding views of the Hauraki Gulf. Passengers have a chance to hear a little history of the project and visit the restrooms that use the latest technology. The “vermipost” system results in an effluent that is beneficial to plant life and contributes to the native forest restoration.

Train rides cost NZ$20 (US$14) for adults, NZ$11 (US$8) for children. To get here, the ferry from Auckland runs three days a week and takes two hours each way, NZ$129 (US$90) for adults, NZ$70 (US$50) for children.

Susan Colby
For International Living

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P.S. At 71 years old, Barry continues to play a major role in the development of the Driving Creek Railway and ancillary projects. He has bequeathed the property to the New Zealand National Trust, protecting the project in perpetuity.