New Zealand by Train

New Zealand is home to some of the world's most spectacular landscapes, and this series explores three of the country's major scenic rail journeys.

New Zealand is home to some of the world's most spectacular landscapes, and this series explores three of the country's major scenic rail journeys.

Takes an epic overland train, boat and car journey through New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes. The voyage beings in Auckland, but the city soon gives way to rolling pastures, volcanic extremes, tranquil waterways, the snowcapped grandeur of the Southern Alps and the beauty of Fiordland.

A stunning journey in New Zealand, through the heart of South Island's best scenery. It starts in Greymouth, renowned for its coal mining past, moving on to Arthur's Pass National Park - with its historically important Maori hunting grounds. The train passes through Cass, made famous by Kiwi artist Rita Angus and onwards to the Waimakiriri gorge and its 15 tunnels and four viaducts. Rail engineers recall how the line has been affected by earthquakes before the journey arrives in Christchurch, a city sitting on a volcano. Narrated by Bill Nighy.

For a memorable week in June 1964, the Beatles toured New Zealand, giving concerts in the four main centres and changing life as we knew it for ever. For teenagers of the time, it was the most exciting week of their lives. Teachers were ignored and parents defied as thousands of young people devised ingenious ways of seeing their idols.

The harrowing story of the Allied airmen who experienced the true horrors of Nazism firsthand.