The North Auckland Line from Whangārei to Auckland reopened late last year after 20 months of closure due to damage from extreme weather events – and no-one is more excited than young train fan Phoenix.
As of January, Fonterra’s freight is back to full volumes, and five-year-old Phoenix loves running out to see the trains as they pass his house in Helensville.
KiwiRail recently shared a video of the little boy giggling in delight as the train rumbled past, giving him a special toot in greeting.
“Since he was a newborn, we have been coming out on the deck and waving to the trains morning and night,” Phoenix’s mother Kayla said.
“The trains pass twice a day less than 100 metres from our house.
“He missed them when they weren’t running and would ask me ‘When are the trains coming back?’
“Unlocking the trains again has been next-level excitement, especially when they give a little toot to say ‘hello’.”
Kayla said the driver of the train contacted her after he saw the video on the KiwiRail Facebook page, and invited Phoenix to come to the local station for a special day out.
“We set the alarms and got down to the station before the train arrived so we could watch it pull in.
“Once it was stationary we got to snapping a few more photos and meeting some of the KiwiRail crew.
“Phoenix was a bit nervous about the offer of getting on/in the train but he was very chuffed with his goody bag from the office team and a photo with his new friend in front of the train.
“It was a very special morning for our boy, we truly appreciated it.”
Kayla thinks Phoenix might be interested in a career in the transport industry when he grows up.
“We definitely think he’ll end up in something to do with transport,” she said.
“Both mum and dad are pretty keen on cars, and he loves trains, and anything with wheels!”
