Where time stood still

Forgotten World Adventures provides a truly unique experience for holiday-makers and is bringing a significant amount of tourism business to Taumarunui.

By Patricia Moore

As the less populated regions across New Zealand strive to attract the attention of visitors, there’s a small part of the country happy to call itself ‘forgotten’. It’s the area between Taumarunui and Stratford, linked by the ‘Forgotten World’ highway, aka SH43 – and for a growing number of tourists, it’s the site of a unique and truly memorable adventure.

While out duck shooting a few years back, King Country farmer Ian Balme discovered the region also had its own railway line, albeit one that no longer functioned. He was seeing “a spectacular piece of disused railway line running through stunning countryside”.

For Balme it had the potential to become more than just a relic from the past.

Today, thanks to his farsightedness, the railway track is a hive of activity over the summer months, as holidaymakers, seeking something different from the New Zealand experience, buzz up and down the line, in and out of tunnels, in specially adapted golf carts or – for those with a little more energy – the new rail bikes.

Forgotten World Adventures is rapidly taking the ‘forgotten’ out of the equation and, in doing so, bringing a significant amount of tourism business to Taumarunui’s accommodation and restaurant industry and other attractions in the area.

Launching an enterprise that involves 142 kilometres of redundant rail track and the wherewithal to get visitors along that track didn’t happen overnight. And though it didn’t come cheaply, it was almost entirely funded through the equity of the owners.

Balme’s first step was obtaining a lease that ensured certainty of use for the track. It was also necessary to develop a comprehensive rail safety case.

Gaining the lease was not difficult – manager Paul Chaplow suggests KiwiRail was probably happy to have maintenance of the Stratford-Okahukura Line taken off their hands. Local reaction to the idea was a different story.

“There was a fair bit of negativity around the concept and very little support from the local community. We’re happy to say the locals and the council are now very supportive of the business,” says Chaplow.

Balme’s team also had to develop a prototype rail system for the self-drive golf carts they were importing, and design miniature turntables to enable customers to make the return journey to Taumarunui.

“There was a fair degree of No 8 wire ingenuity involved,” says Chaplow. “However, much of the way we’ve evolved has been simple pragmatism. What can work for us on the scale at which we operate and in the remote location we deal with?”

Smart marketing
Forgotten World Adventures is attracting baby-boomers and older Kiwis looking for adventure “without the thrills and spills”. It’s a massive and underserved market, says Chaplow. To date their promotional efforts have been focused on this segment, mainly through presentations to seniors groups. And while word-of-mouth currently attracts most customers, print media and presentations play a key role. “We also attend a number of trade shows throughout the year – TRENZ is probably the most important for us.”

For the most part their customers are not Internet savvy, but social media plays an important part in the marketing mix. “It’s an inexpensive way for any enterprise to get in front of a wider audience. We’ve promoted quite a lot of video content this year which has got good traction. We also ask customers to post and rate us online via TripAdvisor, which is popular with people looking for unbiased third-party information about the quality of a tourism business.”

As well, the uniqueness of the venture has attracted a lot of positive media attention – always a welcome boost for a young company with a limited marketing budget.
Last summer was Forgotten World Adventures’ fourth, and its best yet. Staff numbers have increased from seven to 30 since launching, but the growth in visitor numbers has meant it’s necessary to revisit the company’s business processes and systems. What was fine when dealing with 2,500 to 4,000 customers needs upgrading as numbers grow to 6,500-plus.

This winter they’re also looking at widening their current range of merchandise options.

There’s plenty to do in the ‘off’ season, but Chaplow says they need to find ways to maximise their investment in infrastructure – always a challenge for a business relying on activity for just part of the year. Over the winter months adverse weather conditions can lead to slips on the line, making the entire adventure a little tricky. But by offering a shortened version of one of their seven regular tours, they’re still able to satisfy market demand.

All about the experience
Paul Chaplow has extensive experience in the adventure tourism industry, here and overseas; he rates Forgotten World Adventures with the best of them. The criteria by which he rates it applies to business enterprises across the board.

“It’s about having passionate local staff willing to work hard to give each customer a wonderful experience, and about the quality of the equipment provided – in our case the rail carts and bikes, the jet boat and the accommodation.

“However to be truly world-class you have to have the raw material to work with. For us it’s 142 kilometres of railway line, 98 bridges and 24 tunnels, the scenery, the stories of the people and the hardships they endured creating this forgotten world all those years ago.”

So is the journey over or has it just begun? Is future expansion on the agenda?

“It’s difficult to know,” says Chaplow. “We’re definitely past the start-up phase and into a growth phase.” That’s seen Forgotten World Adventures branching out into related areas that enhance the visitor experience. Early in 2015 they bought and refurbished a Taumarunui motel (now renamed Forgotten World Motel) in order to provide a higher standard of accommodation for customers. It wasn’t part of the original plan but was an opportunity that made perfect sense and has been a great investment, says Chaplow.
More recently they have partnered with a Whanganui jet boat operator to form Forgotten World Jet and add further options to their menu.

Balme’s dream to bring new life to a disused railway track has resulted in an innovative concept that resonates with the target market and offers a variety of options for a variety of customers. It’s a truly Kiwi experience.