In all of my trips to New Zealand, I had wanted to ride on the Kingston Flyer train. Then in 2013, the train ceased operations. It was not brought back into service until 2022. The train runs from Kingston, at the south end of Lake Wakatipu, to Fairlight on Sundays during the warmer months. (In the old days, people would get off the train at Kingston and take a steamship to Queenstown.) Anyway, there is no public transport to Kingston, so I had to arrange a taxi. The taxi cost more than the train fare!

We had to check-in at Kingston Station a half hour before the train departure. That gave me plenty of time to photograph the train at the station. The steam engine named "Greenvale" was built in 1927.

The train had a problem. The wet weather and cold temperatures caused the rails to constrict and the train lost traction on the uphill climb out of Kingston. We went two steps forward and one step back. It took a while to make the climb. From the train, you could see Lake Wakatipu, with the Remarkables in the background. The train terminates at Fairlight. It was a scenic trip and the 1920s historic carriages were reasonably comfortable.

When we arrived at Fairlight, we had to disembark while the engine was switched to the other end of the train. It ran through a triangle siding. As it moved to the other end of the train, the children were encouraged to race the train's engine. Most of them were faster than the steam engine!

When we arrived back in Kingston, my taxi was waiting for me and brought me back to Queenstown.