What a good idea from David Dalton. My wife and I would love to go to Auckland every so often but as we are now OAPs we find the 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive each way very tiring.
We are also not in the position, like so many people at our stage in life, of affording Motels/Hotels. The buses are a little hit and miss, occasionally held up by roadworks and accidents (as with the car), but a reasonable train service would be an absolute boon. We also go to Hamilton to see family and Exhibitions etc., and a train service would be very useful (though the Hamilton train station is a little way out of the city centre. Certainly worth a good look.

Tim Pickford, Tauranga.