River Edge Park Miniature Railway

03/09/2026

🌟🚂 Glow in the Dark Open Weekend Update! 🚂🌟
The countdown is on to our Glow in the Dark Open Weekend on 12 & 13 September, and we're excited to share some great news!

We're pleased to have a couple of visiting drivers and miniature trains from out of town joining us. Their support will help make this a fantastic event, and we're looking forward to seeing some different locomotives operating on our railway. 🚂✨

📅 Saturday 12 September
🚂 Day Running: 1pm - 4pm
🌟 Glow in the Dark Night Run: 5pm - 7pm

📅 Sunday 13 September
🚂 Normal Run Day: 10am - 3pm

📍 Location
River Edge Park, Whakatāne
Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park

🚗 Access via the car park at the river end of McAlister Street

🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes are required for all rides

🚨 Safety Reminders
To help everyone have a safe and enjoyable visit, please:
✅ Follow instructions from our volunteers and train crews at all times
✅ Keep behind safety barriers and fences unless directed otherwise
✅ Supervise children closely around the railway
✅ Wait for trains to come to a complete stop before boarding or disembarking
✅ Keep hands, feet, and personal belongings inside the carriages during your ride
✅ Wear closed-toe shoes when riding the trains
A big thank you to our visiting operators and our dedicated volunteers who are helping make this special weekend possible.

🌟🚂 Bring the family down and experience the railway by day and under the lights after dark. We’d love to see you trackside for what promises to be a fantastic weekend of miniature railway fun! 🚂✨

21/08/2026

🚨 Run Day Cancelled - Sunday 23 August 🚨

Unfortunately, we will not be running this Sunday, 23 August.

As a volunteer-run railway, we rely on having enough volunteers available to operate safely. Due to a shortage of volunteers this weekend, we are unable to run the railway while maintaining the safety standards required for our passengers and volunteers.

We know many families look forward to visiting, and we're sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

❤️ Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our railway. We are incredibly grateful to all our volunteers who help make our run days possible.

🌟🚂 Looking Ahead: Glow in the Dark Open Weekend! 🚂🌟

Don't forget our special Glow in the Dark Open Weekend coming up on 12 & 13 September.

📅 Saturday 12 September
🚂 Day Running: 1pm - 4pm
🌟 Glow in the Dark Night Run: 5pm - 7pm

📅 Sunday 13 September
🚂 Normal Run Day: 10am - 3pm

We hope you'll join us for this exciting weekend and experience the railway come alive after dark!

📍 River Edge Park Miniature Railway, Whakatāne

🚂 Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you trackside soon.😊

08/08/2026

🚨 Run Day Cancelled Today 🚨

Unfortunately, due to the rain and current weather conditions, the River Edge Park Miniature Railway will not be operating today.

The safety of our passengers, volunteers, and railway equipment is always our top priority, and the conditions are not suitable for running trains.
We apologise for any disappointment and appreciate your understanding.

📅 Our next scheduled run day is Sunday 23 August
🕙 10am – 3pm
📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)

Thank you to our volunteers and supporters for helping keep our community railway running.

📣 Please keep an eye on our page for updates and future event announcements, including our September Open Weekend and Glow in the Dark Night Run. ✨🚂

🚂❤️ We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Sunday 23 August and hope to see you trackside then.

06/08/2026

🚂 Running This Sunday! 🚂

Good news! We're planning to be running this Sunday 9 August, weather permitting. 🌦️

📅 Sunday 9 August
⏰ 10am – 3pm
📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)

🚗 Access: Car park at the river end of McAlister Street
🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes required for all rides

Bring the family down for a fun day out on the miniature railway and enjoy a ride through the park. We'd love to see you trackside!

🌦️ Weather permitting. Please keep an eye on our page for any updates.

🚂❤️ Hope to see you there!

31/07/2026

🚂✨ Upcoming Run Days at River Edge Park Miniature Railway ✨🚂

We've got some exciting run days coming up over the next couple of months, including our special Open Weekend and Glow in the Dark Night Run in September!

⚠️ All run days are subject to suitable weather conditions and having enough volunteers available to operate. Please keep an eye on our page for updates.

🚂 Sunday 9 August
🕙 10am – 3pm

🚂 Sunday 23 August
🕙 10am – 3pm

🌟 Open Weekend – Saturday 12 September 🌟
🚂 Day Run: 1pm – 4pm
✨ Glow in the Dark Night Run: 5pm – 7pm
Experience the magic of riding behind our miniature trains after dark!

🚂 Sunday 13 September
🕙 10am – 3pm

📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)
🚗 Access: Car park at the river end of McAlister Street
🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes required for all rides

Bring the family down for a fun day out on the miniature railway. We'd love to see you trackside and hope to see you there! 🚂😊

23/07/2026

🚂✅ Running This Sunday! ✅🚂

Good news! We have enough volunteers and are planning to run this Sunday.

📅 Sunday 26 July
⏰ 10am – 3pm

📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)
🚗 Access: Car park at the river end of McAlister Street
🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes required for all rides

🌦️ Weather permitting

Bring the family down for a fun day out and enjoy a ride on the miniature railway. We'd love to see you trackside!

We will update our page if there are any changes.

08/07/2026

🚨 Run Day Cancellation – Saturday 11 July & Sunday 12 July 🚨

Unfortunately, we will not be operating this weekend on Saturday 11 July or Sunday 12 July.

Due to not having enough volunteers available to operate the railway safely, we have made the difficult decision to cancel both run days.

As a volunteer-run railway, safety is our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding.

We would like to thank everyone who was planning to visit and our volunteers who continue to support the railway throughout the year.

🌟 For those looking forward to our Light Up Whakatāne trains, we're hopeful that we'll be able to hold a night run later in the year. We'll share details as soon as plans are confirmed.

Our next scheduled run day is:
📅 Sunday 26 July
🕙 10am – 3pm
📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne

Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you trackside soon. 🚂❤️

04/07/2026

🚂✨ July Run Days – Light Up Whakatāne & Family Fun ✨🚂

We've got an exciting month ahead at the River Edge Park Miniature Railway, including a special event in conjunction with Light Up Whakatāne!

⚠️ All run days are subject to suitable weather conditions and having enough volunteers available to operate. Please keep an eye on our page for updates closer to each date.

🌟 Saturday 11 July – Light Up Whakatāne
Join us for a special afternoon and evening of train rides as part of Light Up Whakatāne.

🚂 Train rides from 1pm – 4pm then 5pm - 7pm

🚂 Sunday 12 July
Regular Run Day
🕙 10am – 3pm

🚂 Sunday 26 July
Regular Run Day
🕙 10am – 3pm

📍 River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)
🚗 Access: Car park at the river end of McAlister Street
🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes required for all rides

🙋 Volunteers Needed
We're looking for a few extra volunteers to help us operate during our Light Up Whakatāne run day on Saturday 11 July.
If you're 18 years or older and would like to help out, please send us a message — we'd love to hear from you! 🚂😊

03/07/2026

Hi Everyone

As per the below from the organisers of Light Up Whakatāne - we are looking volunteers to help us run next Saturday as we currently don't have enough people to run on the day. If you are able to assist please reach out to the Light Up Whakatāne team or send us a message.

🚂✨ Volunteers Wanted – Night Trains are back (hopefully!) ✨🚂

The much-loved River Edge Park Miniature Railway Night Trains are keen to return for Light Up Whakatāne… but they need a few legends to help make it happen! 🙌

We’re on the hunt for 2–3 volunteers to jump in on Saturday 11 July (1pm–7pm) to help keep things running smoothly and safely for the community.

💡 You might be:
🎟️ Collecting tickets
👋 Helping with crowd flow
🚂 Assisting passengers on and off the trains

This is your chance to help bring back a super special community experience ✨

📩 Keen? Flick us a message to sign up!

27/06/2026

🚂 We’re Running Today!

Good news — trains are running today and we’re all set for a great day!

⏰ Time: 10am – 3pm
📍 Where: River Edge Park, Whakatāne
(Between the Rose Gardens and the Skate Park)
🚗 Access: Car park at the river end of McAlister Street
🎟️ Rides from $2.50
👟 Closed-toe shoes required for all rides

Bring the family down and enjoy a ride — we’d love to see you trackside! 😊