Advise for any with mobility disability issues planning on the Taieri Gorge Railway adventure.
Although we are not sure if this is a Cunard Queen Elizabeth and Taieri Gorge Railway issue with accepting people with mobility issues for the excursion, there is no excuse for the rudeness and discrimination to both my wife and another lady by Tairi Gorge Railway staff on December 7th 2023.
I have emailed the details below to Taieri Gorge Railway and have not had a response.
This may seem to be a very long description, but highlights the circumstances that both ladies endured on the day.
As Australian's on board the cruise ship Cunard, Queen Elizabeth, we booked the train excursion which had a note that a short distance would need to be walked to the train, which as we had been to Dunedin railway station on previous visits we knew was suitable for mobility disability, as my wife uses a portable travel scooter.
All had been visually approved staff on board the Queen Elizabeth as we got shuttle transfer tickets for my wife, with her portable folding electric travel scooter, and myself.
However when we went to board the shuttle bus to the train station, we were very abruptly and arrogantly spoken to "that we cannot take the travel scooter" in front of many other cruise ship passengers by the train staff. We would have to leave it outside on the wharf, unsecured. There was no reasonable explanation, even though previously friends had done the excursion with a wheelchair.
We were being continually strongly spoken to by the train staff, holding up the bus departure. There was no reasonable explanation, causing embarrassment to my wife.
She needs the travel scooter for mobility, it is an essential part of her mobility, yet she and the travel scooter were treated with total disrespect.
Eventually a bus shuttle member allowed me to place the scooter in the secure office, only then to be yelled at again by the train staff.
At the train station there was a distance to walk and of course without the scooter, walking was very slow, especially as the wheelchair access ramp, to avoid the stairs was the other side of the entry to the station.
Due to the time taken to get to the train carriage allocation, we were allocated to the last train carriage, the furthest away. I asked for a wheelchair, but not one available, once again arrogantly spoken to and causing a departure delay, once again with every one waiting for us.
To our dismay when arriving at the destination, there was infact a carriage which had walkers and baby strollers stored for the excursion. There was plenty of room on the train.
On the return to the train station, a long walk from the end carriage, but when I was asked for a wheelchair, once again sharply spoken to that one was not available, as the lady who experienced the same scenario, had in fact hurt herself due to the ordeal.
Eventually a staff member with some empathy, allowed us to use the wheelchair.
Unfortunately what should have been a wonderful experience turned out to be a traumatic experience for both my wife and an other lady in the group who also has a portable travel scooter.
We have visited NZ several times, and have always found public transportation, tours and venues to be very accommodating to disability, but this was a very unpleasant and unacceptable experience.