Frequently asked questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Booking & Payment
You can call us to talk to a member of the Bookings team directly, email us at bookings@fwa.co.nz or book directly online on our website. Some guests like to call us to discuss what they’d like to do and ask questions, then send a booking request by email or book directly online afterwards at www.fwa.co.nz. Call us on 0800 7245 2278 (NZ only) or +64 7895 7181 from outside NZ.
Yes. Go onto the Experiences page on our website or click on the experience you’re interested in and select the green BOOK NOW button. This will take you through to our online booking portal. Should you have any trouble making your booking, please email us at bookings@fwa.co.nz or give us a call directly on 0800 7245 2278 (NZ only) or +64 7895 7181 from outside NZ.
Yes. We offer child and family rates on three of our experiences – the Tokirima Taster, Rail River Combo and The Republic.
We offer our child rate for children aged 15 years and under.
Family rates are based on 2 adults travelling with 2 children.
No we don’t, sorry.
You can contact our Bookings team at bookings@fwa.co.nz or call us on 0800 7245 2278 (Freephone from New Zealand only) or on +64 (0)7895 7181 from outside New Zealand.
During our open season, which runs from mid-October to mid-May, our Reception and Bookings desk is open from 6.30am to 6pm, seven days a week. During the winter season, mid-May to mid-October, we are open from 8am to 5pm, seven days a week. We are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Booking is essential for our multi-day tours. We will always try to accommodate walk-ins for our half-day and full day experiences but it will depend on the number of guests already booked in to travel with us on any given day. It also depends on the number of available rail carts, since every booking has their own rail cart(s).
Many guests opt for this option for convenience. Most of the tours depart from the motel in Taumarunui at 7.30am so it’s an early start and handy to already be in the right location ahead of your day out. You can choose to add a night or more to your booking when you book online. Our team will also ask if you’d like to do this if you’re booking over the phone.
We offer gift vouchers for a particular experience or for a monetary value. Please call us or email us at bookings@fwa.co.nz to purchase. You will soon be able to purchase gift vouchers on our website.
Every gift voucher is issued with its own unique code. Please enter this code when booking online in the relevant place or provide via email or over the phone if booking that way.
A 50% deposit must be received in order to confirm a booking. Full payment of invoice must be received 120 days prior to tour departure date.
Please refer to our Payment and Cancellation/Refund Policy in our Terms and Conditions (link at bottom of our website).
Forgotten World Adventures reserves the right to alter, amend or cancel any trip should unforeseen circumstances, adverse weather affecting guest safety and comfort, unforeseen operational reasons or any other issue or circumstance outside of FWA’s control necessitate this. Once the tour has departed, no portion of the package payment is refundable in the event of an individual or group being unable to proceed further on the adventure, for whatever reason.
Please send us an email at bookings@fwa.co.nz to report the problem and tell us what you’d like to know. Or give us a call to discuss directly.
Please refer to our Payment and Cancellation/Refund Policy in our Terms and Conditions (link at bottom of our website).
In the event that a refund is owed, refunds will be processed within 5-15 working days.
Planning & travel
We operate our experiences from mid-October to mid-May. We are closed between mid-May and mid-October in order to carry out works and essential maintenance on the railway line.
Every season in the Forgotten World is spectacular in its own right, but exactly what you’ll find depends on when you come. Check out our planning page on the website to find out what to expect if you visit in Spring, Summer or Autumn. We often experience 4 seasons in one day, and the tunnels can be chilly, so we always advise you to bring warm clothing and layers. The scenery is seasonally stunning and there’s always plenty of opportunity to take photos of incredible landscapes as you travel through the various terrains.
We have 2, 4 and 6 seater rail carts available. We will seat the guests on your booking accordingly. We seat guests from the same booking together and don’t seat you with people you don’t know.
Yes. Under 3s aren’t permitted on the jet boat rides for safety reasons but there are no other restrictions as such. The half-day Tokirima Taster and full-day Republic experiences are an ideal length for younger children; they have the chance to get a taste for the rail carts and enjoy going through the tunnels and stopping along the way. It obviously depends on your children but the multi-day options probably lend themselves more towards slightly older children, but it’s really up to you. We offer child rates for our two half-day and our full-day experiences. Younger children or babies will need a car seat to travel in on the rail cart for extra security. Please bring your own car seat with you. Our team will make sure it goes on the shuttle bus and assist you at the carts.
14 days prior to their booking with us, the lead booker (the person who made the booking and whose email address is attached to the booking), will receive a link to an electronic pre-arrival waiver form via email from our software provider ‘Wherewolf’. A pre-arrival waiver form must kindly be completed and submitted online by each guest named on the booking (or on behalf of the guest if they are 15 years of age or under) ahead of their tour departure date. The lead booker must kindly forward the link to individual guests in their group/booking in order for them to complete their own pre-arrival waiver individually. The form contains an important section relating to ‘Client Consent and Risk Disclosure’. You can view this form here. Children aged 15 and under do not need to complete their own waiver but we do require the legal guardian travelling with that child to complete a waiver on their behalf. If the lead booker wishes to complete the waiver on behalf of one or more additional guests from their booking in addition to their own, they must ensure the individual(s) concerned are fully aware of the questions asked, including the information pertaining to the risk disclosure section presented in the waiver, and that they are providing their consent. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Yes. We offer a continental and cooked breakfast which can be pre-ordered at Reception the day before. Breakfast is served in our dining room from 6.30am to 9am or can be delivered to your room. Gluten free and dairy free options available on request.
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to offer dinner as a standard service at this time. However, we do cater for dinners for larger tour groups staying with us – requirements would be discussed with our Bookings team around the time of the booking. We prepare a “Hearty Dinner” for these groups which consists of a set three course menu.
The Forgotten World Motel is centrally located in Taumarunui which is well served for dining options within walking distance. The Monsoon Indian and Jasmine’s Thai are very popular choices and the Rusty Nail serves up great pizza and burgers if that’s more your thing. There are a number of cafés too such as the Trunk CoffeeHouse. The RSA is also just round the corner.
Yes, for an additional charge we can move your car from A to B to ensure it’s at your final destination at the end of your experience with us, allowing you to continue your onward journey without having to return to Taumarunui (for example), if that was your starting point. You can book a vehicle shift add-on when making your booking online or do this separately by email or over the phone. RENTAL CARS – PLEASE NOTE – we can provide the same service for rental cars excluding cars booked with Euro Car. Forgotten World Adventures will not be responsible for insurance cover on any car we shift. Rental companies can be provided with our driver’s name and copy of license to be added as a named driver on the policy.
Yes. Our drivers are all over 25 years old and hold the appropriate licenses. Our drivers are covered under their own insurance policy.
Yes. We can offer this option if it’s something the campervan owner requires.
Yes, this is not a problem.
We can pick you up from the station if required – just be sure to let us know well in advance so we can make arrangements. Please talk to our Bookings team or send them an email at bookings@fwa.co.nz
Yes – please discuss your individual needs with our Bookings team directly.
Accommodation is only included as standard in our packages for The Ultimate, The Expedition and The Epic. Please see the individual itineraries for those experiences for the specifics. It’s possible to add on a night at the Forgotten World Motel before or after your tour for any of our experiences. You can do this at the time of making your booking online or you can call or email us to arrange a room. Please check out the Accommodation section on our website for other accommodation in the local area.
Sturdy footwear (no jandals), sunglasses, sun hat, layers/warm clothing (gloves, beanie hat, scarf – we often experience four seasons in one day), waterproof jacket, warm jackets. A waterproof storage container for bags/belongings is available on the rail carts. Additional items for The Expedition and The Epic – active wear, comfortable walking shoes, warm layers for bush walk, waterproof trousers for jet boating – optional. Day pack – optional. Belongings can be left on the jet boat while walking.
Most of our experiences are suitable for guests with visual or hearing impairments and physical disabilities but please contact us directly before booking to discuss your specific needs and requirements, or those of your travel companion. We always have a step available for guests who might require assistance getting into and out of the rail cart, and our team is always standing by to land a hand. Please always ask for assistance if you’d like it, either in advance or on the day, we’re very happy to help.
Yes. We sell gifts and souvenirs, many from local artisan producers, in the Reception area of the Forgotten World Motel (the departure and return point for many of our experiences) and at our lunch stop at Tokirima Station. All our experiences stop at or pass through Tokirima.
Your experience
Our rail carts are cleverly adapted golf carts which have been re-engineered to run on the railway. They run on petrol and travel at 21/22km an hour. Whilst your experience with us will be guided, you won’t be accompanied by a guide in the rail cart itself and you will be in full control of the vehicle. You will be seated with others from your booking – we don’t seat you people you don’t know. Guests receive a full safety briefing and are asked to respect our health and safety guidelines throughout their experience.
The rail cart has a covered roof. There’s also a windscreen that can be pulled down in the event of heavy wind or rain and all carts come equipped with plastic sides that can be zipped up if necessary.
This will depend on exactly what experience you are doing, and in which direction. All durations, check-in times, departure times and return times are detailed on the individual itinerary for each experience. Please check the relevant part of the Experiences page on our website for specifics.
This will depend on exactly what experience you are doing, and in which direction. All durations, check-in times, departure times and return times are detailed on the individual itinerary for each experience. Please check the relevant part of the Experiences page on our website for specifics.
This will depend on exactly what experience you are doing, and in which direction. All durations, check-in times, departure times and return times are detailed on the individual itinerary for each experience. Please check the relevant part of the Experiences page on our website for specifics.
Our experiences are clearly labelled with durations throughout our website. They vary from half a day, to a full day, two days and four days. Please check each experience for specifics.
Yes. There are toilets available at all the morning tea, afternoon tea and lunch stops.
This will vary from one day to the next, and from one experience to another. It really does depend. We tend to have smaller groups for the Expedition and Epic tours with a maximum number of 15 on each experience. Our jet boat seats a maximum of 15. For our rail cart experiences, there will be no more than 12 carts running in total on any given group and do bear in mind you will always have your own cart – we don’t seat you with people you don’t know. We can have many people travelling on the line on any given day but not always in the same direction or at the same time!
Sturdy footwear (no jandals), sunglasses, sun hat, layers/warm clothing (gloves, beanie hat, scarf – we often experience four seasons in one day), waterproof jacket, warm jackets. A waterproof storage container for bags/belongings is available on the rail carts. Additional items for The Expedition and The Epic – active wear, comfortable walking shoes, warm layers for bush walk, waterproof trousers for jet boating – optional. Day pack – optional. Belongings can be left on the jet boat while walking.
Yes. There is space to stow a small day bag and coat with you on the rail carts and we also have waterproof containers at your disposal on many of the rail carts for additional items.
No, sorry. The railway line travels through private land and airspace (agricultural spraying may also be taking place) plus drones can be disruptive for other guests. We have no restrictions on camera usage however so please take as many photographs as you wish throughout your experience.
Restrictions
The person in control of the rail cart must have a current driver’s license (restricted or full). Participants must obey the instructions of all FWA staff at all times. Equally if a participant causes damage to FWA property or that of any third party their trip will be terminated and we will be under no further liability for refunds or in meeting any costs incurred as a result.
Under 3s are not permitted on the jet boat for safety reasons, sorry.
Most definitely not on the upper end of the scale! Babies and children are permitted on the rail carts but will need a car seat to travel in on the rail cart for extra security. Please bring your own car seat with you. Our team will make sure it goes on the shuttle bus and assist you at the carts. The half-day Tokirima Taster and full-day Republic experiences are an ideal length for younger children; they have the chance to get a taste for the rail carts and enjoy going through the tunnels and stopping along the way. It obviously depends on your children but the multi-day options probably lend themselves more towards slightly older children, but it’s really up to you. We offer child rates for our two half-day and our full-day experiences.
This will vary from one day to the next, and from one experience to another. It really does depend. We tend to have smaller groups for the Expedition and Epic tours with a maximum number of 15 on each experience. Our jet boat seats a maximum of 15. For our rail cart experiences, there will be no more than 12 carts running in total on any given group and do bear in mind you will always have your own cart – we don’t seat you with people you don’t know. We can have many people travelling on the line on any given day but not always in the same direction or at the same time!
The Epic, The Expedition and The Ultimate experiences require a minimum number of full fare adults to cover minimum operating costs. Should we not have enough guests to run, we hold the right to cancel the tour. Notification will be given 1 month (30 days) before tour departure if we are unable to depart and we will look for alternatives for you.
We will either change your booking date/time to the next available and confirmed departure for the tour you want or cancel your trip and you will be fully refunded after notice of cancellation has been given.
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