We spent a pleasant Sunday morning on our Taranaki tour taking a short train ride from Waitara (about 30 min from Stratford). The local railway preservation society has salvaged several rail carriages and engines – they take visitors on short rides on the 1st and 3rd Sundays each month during October to March. There were plenty of kids on the train as Moms and Dads took advantage of the sunny weather to get the whole family out of the house. In fact, we had to stand in the open car since all the seats in the covered carriage were taken. The overall ride was about 30 minutes, but we had a meal stop at the former Tahora station. There were plenty of springtime sights although the cutting of the hay gave Kent the sniffles. We also had plenty of opportunities to see Mt Tarankai "floating" in the distance (from town and from the Tahora staton). All in all, a great ½ day outing!