for the Silver Ferns: the Kaimai Express between Tauranga and Auckland, and the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua. The twice daily service began operating on 9 December 1991, just over 23 years since the cancellation of the last regular passenger service to Rotorua. The morning service, train no. 401, departed Auckland at 8:45 am, reaching Rotorua at 12:45 pm; its return run, train no. 402, left Rotorua at 1:30 pm and reached Auckland at 5:30 pm. The afternoon service, train no. 403, departed Auckland at 12:45 pm and arrived in Rotorua at 4:45 pm; its return run, train no. 404, left Rotorua at 5:30 pm and arrived in Auckland at 9:30 pm. An unfortunate situation for the new service was the terminal at Rotorua, which was now the Koutu freight yard. The line into the Travel Centre in the central city had been closed and lifted in 1990. On 9 September 1995, a new but very small passenger station operated by the Second Chance Train Trust was opened on the north side of the Lake Road bridge at the entrance to the Koutu freight yard. The new passenger station at Koutu was intended as a temporary measure until the line could be relaid to a proposed new passenger station in the central city on the corner of Ranolf and Amohau Streets, which was being pursued by the Second Chance Train Trust and the Rotorua District Council. The new station never eventuated as the Rotorua District Council would not commit funding unless Tranz Rail guaranteed that the Geyserland Express would continue to run, and Tranz Rail would not make the necessary guarantee. In April 1995 the twice-daily afternoon services were cut back to Friday and Sunday only, due to poor patronage. A daily service still remained on all other days. In November 1996 the twice-daily afternoon services on Friday and Sunday ceased altogether. In 2000 a timetable change was made to enable the introduction of the Waikato Connection commuter service between Hamilton and Auckland and allowed for a southbound journey of 4 hours and 13 minutes duration and a slightly longer northbound journey of 4 hours and 16 minutes duration. Under the new timetable, train no. 401 departed Auckland at 8:04 am and arrived in Rotorua at 12:17 pm, and train no. 402 departed Rotorua at 1:30 pm for a 5:46 pm arrival in Auckland. Intermediate stops were at Middlemore,